The Food and Drug Administration is clearing two old color-additive permissions from federal rules, but the reason is easy to misstate: the agency says industry stopped using them. The actions are not presented as new findings that the dyes suddenly became unsafe.

FDA issued a final order revoking Orange B for coloring the casings or surfaces of frankfurters and sausages. The order says the authorized use had been abandoned and the regulation had become outdated and unnecessary.

That final order follows an earlier proposal and public comment period. FDA said it received no information that changed its conclusion about abandonment. The order is scheduled to take effect September 8, subject to the objection process described in the notice.

First page of FDA’s 2026 final order revoking the Orange B food-color authorization.
FDA’s Orange B final order says the authorized use on frankfurters and sausages has been abandoned and the regulation is outdated and unnecessary.FDA via Federal RegisterView source

Citrus Red No. 2 is at a different stage. FDA has proposed—not finalized—revocation of the authorization to color the skins of mature oranges.

The proposed order says certification data indicate Citrus Red No. 2 is no longer used for that purpose and has not been certified for use as a color additive in food marketed in the United States since 2020. FDA therefore tentatively concluded the authorization had been abandoned.

The public may comment through August 24. FDA said it will review the comments before deciding whether to issue a final revocation, so the Citrus Red No. 2 authorization has not yet completed the same legal process as Orange B.

First page of FDA’s 2026 proposal to revoke the Citrus Red No. 2 authorization for mature orange skins.
FDA’s Citrus Red No. 2 proposal says certification data show no U.S. food-use certification since 2020; comments are due August 24.FDA via Federal RegisterView source

The narrow uses also matter. Orange B’s rule concerned frankfurter and sausage surfaces; Citrus Red No. 2’s rule concerned mature orange skins. The actions do not mean FDA barred every orange- or red-colored food product or announced a recall.

FDA framed the changes as regulatory cleanup within a broader effort to reduce petroleum-based color additives. But the legal findings in these two records focus on nonuse and abandonment, not a newly announced toxicology determination.

For consumers, the immediate practical effect should be limited because FDA says the covered uses have already disappeared from the market. The more concrete change is that the Code of Federal Regulations will no longer preserve obsolete permissions as if the uses remained current.

The next item to watch is the Citrus Red No. 2 docket. A final order, if FDA issues one after comments, would turn the proposal into a completed regulatory change; until then, headlines should keep the final Orange B action separate from the proposed citrus action.