The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pulled authorization for Orange B in its latest ban on artificial colors and additives. The color is used in sausage casings.
According to the final order on the color, the FDA has “determined that the authorized use of Orange B has been abandoned, and we have concluded that this color additive regulation is outdated and unnecessary.”
“Therefore, FDA is revoking the authorized use in food of Orange B in the color additive regulations,” the order says. The agency explained that Orange B “has not been certified for use as a color additive in food marketed in the United States since 1978.”
Similarly, the FDA has proposed the revocation of Citrus Red No. 2, which is used for “coloring the skins of mature oranges.”
“Based on certification data, it appears that Citrus Red No. 2 is no longer used for coloring the skins of oranges and has not been certified for use as a color additive in food marketed in the United States since 2020,” the proposal says. “Because the authorized use of Citrus Red No. 2 appears to have been abandoned, we have tentatively concluded that this color additive regulation is outdated and unnecessary.”
“The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to strengthen the safety of America’s food supply,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “By working to eliminate outdated authorizations for petroleum-based color additives that are no longer used, we are modernizing our food safety regulations and helping to Make America Healthy Again.”
