Foods

Dyes and additives in gelatin and pudding

Flavored gelatin is colored by definition, and instant pudding mixes often carry both dyes and a preservative. Their labels show it.

Search labeled products by category and dye

Gelatin and pudding: products whose label lists a tracked dye or additive

1,336 of 2,033

Loading the product list…

USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, release of 2026-10-29. The label date is when the record was submitted: recipes change, so check the package in your hand.

Gelatin desserts, gels, pectins, puddings and custards are a small group, 2,033 products, with one of the highest shares of tracked substances: 66%. Yellow 5 is first at 39%, from lemon, lime and banana flavors and vanilla pudding, ahead of Red 40 at 34% and Yellow 6 at 32%. Blue 1 is on 28%. The category also holds the highest rate of BHA among the groups tracked here, 8%, used in instant pudding and dessert mixes to keep fats stable. BHA is still authorized by the FDA; West Virginia named it in its 2028 sale ban, now enjoined, and Texas in its label list. Unflavored gelatin and pectin list none of these. Gelatin cups are a common school lunch dessert, which puts them in the scope of every school meal rule.

How common is this ingredient in a food category?

Gelatin and pudding whose label lists Red 40

34%

Products listing it689
Products in the category2,033

USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods; labels were submitted over several years and recipes change.

Search the products →

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

Sugar-free versions

Sugar-free gelatin and pudding use the same dyes as the regular versions; only the sweetener differs. Louisiana is the one state whose school rule also names some sweeteners, from the 2028-2029 school year. The Louisiana page has the list.

What the labels list, substance by substance

2,033 products, 2,033 with an ingredient list; USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, release of October 29, 2026.
SubstanceProductsShare of the category
Red 4068933.9%
Red 3221.1%
Yellow 579939.3%
Yellow 665432.2%
Blue 156027.5%
Blue 2201.0%
Green 310.0%
Titanium dioxide21110.4%
BHA1728.5%

Questions people ask

How many gelatin and pudding products were counted, and how recent are their labels?

2,033 products, one per barcode, from the USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods release of October 29, 2026. 1,336 of them list at least one of the 14 substances tracked here. Most labels in the data set were filed in 2021 to 2023, so recipes may have changed since.

Which dye is listed most often in gelatin and pudding?

Yellow 5, on 799 labels or 39.3% of the category, followed by Red 40 (689) and Yellow 6 (654). A product often lists several at once, so the counts overlap. The table on this page gives every tracked substance. Counts come from the labels, not from tests of the products themselves.

Are gelatin and pudding with these dyes legal to sell?

Yes, in stores, except for substances whose federal date has passed, such as BVO, or will pass, such as Red 3 on January 15, 2027, and from January 1, 2027 for the four substances of California's Food Safety Act in that state. School rules in several states limit what schools serve or sell, not what stores sell.

Check next

Foods with Red 40

Search US products whose label lists Red 40 or another tracked dye, by category, from USDA FoodData Central, with each label's date.

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.

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.

Natural food colors

The colors exempt from certification that replace synthetic dyes, the new ones the FDA approved since 2025, and two still on hold.

Laws and official pages behind this page

Written by

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

Laws and FDA orders checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

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