Dyes and additives

Green 3 (Fast Green): status and state laws

Fast Green FCF is the rarest of the certified food dyes in the products we counted. It is still on the federal list and on every state list of six or seven dyes.

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FD&C Green No. 3 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 Green No. 3, E143, CAS 2353-45-9. 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

Green 3 remains a listed color additive for food under 21 CFR 74.203. It is part of the FDA's voluntary phase-out request of April 2025, which covers it together with Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2, and no order to revoke it has been published. State laws name it wherever they name the full set of certified colors: the school rules of California, Virginia, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, Iowa and West Virginia, plus the enjoined West Virginia ban on food sold from 2028 and the Texas label list. It is also the least used of the six in the labeled products counted here. In the labeled products counted here it is rare, found in about a hundred ice cream, cake, candy and frosting labels, so the state rules on it mostly confirm what manufacturers already do.

Which states keep this dye out of school food?

School-food rules naming Green 3

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

Why so few labels list it

Green shades in US food are usually a mix of Blue 1 and Yellow 5, which costs less and is approved in more export markets. Green 3 shows up mostly in ice cream and cakes. The table below gives the few categories where it was found.

How it is named

Green 3, Green No. 3, FD&C Green No. 3 and Fast Green FCF all refer to the same listed color. Lakes are permitted and must say so. Its European status, under the number E143, is not confirmed here: the EU's legal database refused our connections when we checked.

Green 3: identity and federal status

Read on November 1, 2026.
Name in the federal rulesFD&C Green No. 3
Other names on labelsFast Green FCF
E number (EU)E143
CAS number2353-45-9
Federal rule21 CFR 74.203
FDA statusListed for use in food. Part of FDA's voluntary phase-out request; no revocation order.

State laws that name Green 3

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 Green 3 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
Ice cream and frozen treats5715,1540.4%
Cakes, pastries and toaster pastries3714,0070.3%
Frosting, sprinkles and syrups156,3500.2%
Cake and baking mixes57,5070.1%
Cookies914,7400.1%
Fruit drinks, teas and flavored waters1322,9420.1%
Candy and chocolate1833,9040.1%
Gelatin and pudding12,0330.0%

Questions people ask

Which states have a law naming Green 3?

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 Green 3 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 Green 3 appear on an ingredient list?

It may be written as Fast Green FCF, and products made for Europe print E143. Federal rule 21 CFR 74.203 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