Dyes and additives

Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow): status and state laws

Sunset Yellow FCF gives orange and caramel tones to candy, drinks and snack coatings. The federal rule has not changed; several state rules have.

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FD&C Yellow No. 6 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 Yellow No. 6, E110, CAS 2783-94-0. 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

Yellow 6 remains a listed color additive for food under 21 CFR 74.706. Like Red 40 and Yellow 5, it is part of the voluntary phase-out the FDA asked of industry in April 2025, and the agency has not published any order to revoke it. The state picture follows the same pattern as the other petroleum-based dyes: it is named in the school-food rules of California, Virginia, Utah, Arizona, Louisiana, Alaska, Iowa, Texas and West Virginia, each with its own start date and scope, and in West Virginia it is among the nine substances of the 2028 ban on food sold in the state that a federal court has enjoined. Texas lists it among the ingredients that call for a warning on labels developed from 2027. Labels may print Yellow 6, Yellow No. 6, FD&C Yellow No. 6 or a lake; its EU number is E110.

Which states keep this dye out of school food?

School-food rules naming Yellow 6

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 it often travels with Yellow 5

Orange shades are commonly made by mixing two certified colors, so Yellow 6 rarely appears alone in ingredient lists. In the FoodData Central labels, it is most frequent in candy, then in chips and snacks, cakes and cookies. A product reformulated to meet a school rule usually drops the whole set of certified colors at once rather than one dye, which is why the state laws list them together.

What replaces it

Paprika extract, annatto, beta-carotene and turmeric are colors exempt from certification already allowed by the FDA; the page on natural colors lists which uses the agency has approved since 2025.

Yellow 6: identity and federal status

Read on November 1, 2026.
Name in the federal rulesFD&C Yellow No. 6
Other names on labelsSunset Yellow FCF
E number (EU)E110
CAS number2783-94-0
Federal rule21 CFR 74.706
FDA statusListed for use in food. Part of FDA's voluntary phase-out request; no revocation order.

State laws that name Yellow 6

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 Yellow 6 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
Gelatin and pudding6542,03332.2%
Candy and chocolate8,41433,90424.8%
Frosting, sprinkles and syrups1,0956,35017.2%
Cakes, pastries and toaster pastries2,25414,00716.1%
Chewing gum and mints2631,66915.8%
Cookies2,21714,74015.0%
Breakfast cereal9519,8039.7%
Cake and baking mixes6797,5079.0%

Questions people ask

Which states have a law naming Yellow 6?

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 Yellow 6 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 Yellow 6 appear on an ingredient list?

It may be written as Sunset Yellow FCF, and products made for Europe print E110. Federal rule 21 CFR 74.706 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