Dyes and additives

Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue): status and state laws

Brilliant Blue FCF colors sports drinks, frosting and candy, and turns green when mixed with yellow. Its federal listing stands; state school laws remove it.

Is this dye or additive banned in your state?

Try a date in 2027 or 2028 to see what changes.

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FD&C Blue No. 1 in California, November 5, 2026

Out of school food from December 31, 2027

FDAAllowed by FDA Listed for use in food. Part of FDA's voluntary phase-out request; no revocation order.
school foodEnacted, not yet in effect AB 2316 (2024), from December 31, 2027.

FD&C Blue No. 1, E133, CAS 3844-45-9. School rules cover food served or sold to students, not grocery shelves. Legal status only, not health advice.

All dye and additive rules in California

Blue 1 is listed for general use in food under 21 CFR 74.101 and has not been the subject of any FDA revocation. It is one of the six certified dyes in the agency's April 2025 request to industry, which asks for removal by the end of 2027 on a voluntary basis. States are the ones writing binding rules. California removes it from school food from December 31, 2027, Virginia from July 1, 2027, and Utah, Arizona and Texas apply their rules from the 2026-2027 school year; Alaska, Iowa and Louisiana follow later. In West Virginia, Blue 1 is in both the school rule in force since August 2025 and the 2028 ban on food sold, the latter enjoined by a federal court. Labels may print Blue 1, Blue No. 1, FD&C Blue No. 1 or Blue 1 Lake, and the EU number is E133.

Which states keep this dye out of school food?

School-food rules naming Blue 1

9 states

California: December 31, 2027 (enacted, not yet in effect)
West VirginiaAugust 1, 2025 (in effect)
Texas: the 2026-2027 school year (food contracts entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2026) (in effect)
Utah: the 2026-2027 school year (in effect)
Virginia: July 1, 2027 (enacted, not yet in effect)
Louisiana: the 2028-2029 school year (enacted, not yet in effect)
Arizona: the 2026-2027 school year (in effect)
Alaska: January 1, 2028 (enacted, not yet in effect)
Iowa: school years beginning on or after July 1, 2027 (enacted, not yet in effect)

All food sold, not only schools: West Virginia.

Read the school meal rules →

Laws and FDA orders read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Blue in a green product

Many green and turquoise foods list no green dye at all: they mix Blue 1 with Yellow 5. That matters for anyone checking a label against a state rule, because the rule names each dye separately. The checker treats each one on its own line.

The natural alternatives already approved

Spirulina extract has long been listed for blue and green shades, and the FDA approved galdieria extract blue and butterfly pea flower extract in 2025 and gardenia blue the same year. These are exempt from certification but still must appear on the label, usually as "spirulina extract (color)" or a similar wording.

Blue 1: identity and federal status

Read on November 1, 2026.
Name in the federal rulesFD&C Blue No. 1
Other names on labelsBrilliant Blue FCF
E number (EU)E133
CAS number3844-45-9
Federal rule21 CFR 74.101
FDA statusListed for use in food. Part of FDA's voluntary phase-out request; no revocation order.

State laws that name Blue 1

9 states; laws read on November 1, 2026.
StateLawScopeFromStatus today
CaliforniaAB 2316 (2024)school foodDecember 31, 2027Enacted, not yet in effect
West VirginiaHB 2354 (2025)all food soldJanuary 1, 2028Enacted, enforcement blocked by a court
West VirginiaHB 2354 (2025)school foodAugust 1, 2025In effect
TexasSB 25 (89th Legislature, 2025)package labellabels developed or copyrighted on or after January 1, 2027Enacted, a court order bars enforcement against some companies
TexasSB 314 (89th Legislature, 2025)school foodthe 2026-2027 school year (food contracts entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2026)In effect
UtahHB 402 (2025)school foodthe 2026-2027 school yearIn effect
VirginiaHB 1910 and SB 1289 (2025)school foodJuly 1, 2027Enacted, not yet in effect
LouisianaSB 14 (2025)school foodthe 2028-2029 school yearEnacted, not yet in effect
LouisianaSB 14 (2025)package labelDecember 31, 2028Enacted, not yet in effect
ArizonaHB 2164 (2025)school foodthe 2026-2027 school yearIn effect
AlaskaSB 187 (34th Legislature)school foodJanuary 1, 2028Enacted, not yet in effect
IowaHF 2676 (91st General Assembly)school foodschool years beginning on or after July 1, 2027Enacted, not yet in effect

Where Blue 1 shows up in labeled products

USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, release of October 29, 2026; one product per barcode.
CategoryProducts listing itProducts in the categoryShare
Chewing gum and mints6541,66939.2%
Candy and chocolate12,22233,90436.0%
Gelatin and pudding5602,03327.5%
Frosting, sprinkles and syrups1,5646,35024.6%
Drink mixes and water enhancers8224,99416.5%
Cakes, pastries and toaster pastries2,26414,00716.2%
Cookies2,24414,74015.2%
Ice cream and frozen treats1,83315,15412.1%

Questions people ask

Which states have a law naming Blue 1?

As of November 1, 2026, 9 states: California, West Virginia, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Louisiana, Arizona, Alaska and Iowa. By kind of rule: all food sold in the state, West Virginia; school food, California, West Virginia, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Louisiana, Arizona, Alaska and Iowa; package labels, Texas and Louisiana. Each rule has its own start date, given in the table on this page with a link to the text.

What is the FDA status of Blue 1 today?

Allowed by FDA. Listed for use in food. Part of FDA's voluntary phase-out request; no revocation order. The federal rule applies in every state, before any state law, and is read in the Federal Register and the electronic Code of Federal Regulations.

How does Blue 1 appear on an ingredient list?

It may be written as Brilliant Blue FCF, and products made for Europe print E133. Federal rule 21 CFR 74.101 governs its use. A certified dye must be named in the list rather than covered by "artificial color", and a lake form must keep the word "Lake".

Check next

Dye laws by state

Pick a state and a dye or additive: the FDA rule, every state law that names it, and the date each one starts.

Ingredient list checker

Paste an ingredient list: every tracked dye or additive found, by FD&C name, lake, E or INS number, with its status in your state.

List of artificial food dyes

The nine synthetic dyes certified by the FDA for food, their other names and E numbers, and the status of each.

FDA phase-out

What the FDA has ordered (Red 3, BVO, Orange B), proposed (Citrus Red 2) and only requested (six dyes by the end of 2027).

States banning food dyes

Every state with an enacted dye or additive law, what it covers, from when, and the bills still pending or not confirmed.

Laws and official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a state-by-state tracker of food dye and additive laws in the United States, with an ingredient-list checker built on USDA FoodData Central

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Food dye and additive rules 2026, read in each state law and in the Federal Register, last checked on