Blue 1
PlainFoodSafe flags Blue 1 as a synthetic dye. CSPI Chemical Cuisine rates it “Caution.” It appears in 16,642 indexed US food products. FDA action is dated 2027-10-01.
1/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine
How common is Blue 1 vs other flagged additives?
Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives - Blue 1 highlighted.
Safety Concerns
synthetic_dye
Safety Assessment
Blue 1 has a lower safety score (1/5), indicating notable concerns from food safety researchers or advocacy organizations. Review the safety concerns above for specific details. Individuals with sensitivities should consider alternatives. CSPI recommends limiting consumption of this ingredient.
What the Data Says About Blue 1
Blue 1 currently appears in 16,642 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 1/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status - currently "Approved (certified color)" - with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification of "Caution." That Caution rating marks a gap between the two lenses: FDA's SAFFA status covers typical intake, while CSPI's review flags cumulative exposure across a modern diet as the open question this score doesn't resolve on its own.
Blue 1 serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing, stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role, which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.
Documented concerns for Blue 1 include: synthetic_dye Consumers with diagnosed sensitivities, pregnant individuals, and parents of young children generally benefit from reviewing product-level detail pages to see the specific items in our catalog that contain this ingredient.
Safety Profile at a Glance
| Source | Classification | Year |
|---|---|---|
| FDA SAFFA | Approved (certified color) | 2024 |
| CSPI Chemical Cuisine | Caution | 2024 |
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 1/5 | 2026 |
| Product footprint | 16,642 products | OpenFoodFacts |
FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.
Products Containing Blue 1
A sample of 16 of the 16,642 indexed products containing Blue 1, with each product's overall safety score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Blue 1 safe to eat? ▼
Blue 1 has a safety score of 1/5. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) rates it as "Caution." FDA status: Approved (certified color). Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.
What products contain Blue 1? ▼
Blue 1 is found in 16,642 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.
What does Blue 1 do in food? ▼
Blue 1 serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.
Citation notes
Regulatory status from FDA SAFFA; safety ratings from CSPI Chemical Cuisine; product presence from Open Food Facts. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial.Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Ingredient figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.