New York: When school starts in West Virginia next month, 240,000 students in districts large and small will notice something missing from their cafeteria trays.

Gone will be red Jell-O fruit cups, yogurt topped with brightly hued sprinkles, and Cool Ranch Doritos — all foods made with synthetic dyes.

In their place will be foods colored only with natural ingredients — such as vegetables, spices, and seeds — after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a sweeping new law in March banning seven artificial dyes from school meals.

Other states have passed similar laws, but West Virginia's is the first to take effect, starting August 1. It triggered a four-month scramble that left state and local nutrition directors racing to comply.

“I think the initial reaction was like, Wow, what are we going to do?” said Tony Crago, director of child nutrition for the West Virginia Department of Education. “Where do we start?”

Across the state, school food managers combed through product lists to eliminate any trace of petroleum-based synthetic dyes, including Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3.

“When it went into law, it was shocking,” said Diane Miller, head of child nutrition for Kanawha County Schools. “We began to realize these dyes were in much more than just your cereals.”

The ban was supported by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long advocated for removing artificial colors from foods. A second phase of the law will ban the dyes — plus two preservatives — from all foods sold in the state starting in 2028.

The move aims to reduce potential health effects from synthetic dyes, which some research links to hyperactivity and attention problems in children. “By eliminating harmful chemicals from our food, we're taking steps toward improving the health of our residents,” Morrisey said in March.

The FDA maintains that the dyes are safe when used as approved, but also acknowledges that certain children may be sensitive to them.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has joined Kennedy in urging removal of the dyes. “We're not going to solve prediabetes by just removing petroleum-based dyes,” he said, “but these are steps in the right direction.”

Nutrition experts agree dyes aren't the main culprits behind chronic health issues — added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats are more to blame — but dyes are seen as symbolic of overly processed foods.

Jerold Mande, a Harvard nutrition expert, said targeting dyes signals to companies that “the way they're making food is unacceptable.”

Some school food suppliers were already shifting to natural alternatives, using beet juice or turmeric for color. Wood County Schools, with 11,000 students, removed only five foods from menus.

General Mills said 98% of its school products are already dye-free and pledged full compliance by next summer.

In Miller's district, about 10% of foods were affected — not just obvious items like strawberry milk and Pop-Tarts, but also pickles, salad dressings, and snack chips.

“People were like, 'Oh my gosh, no more Doritos?'” Miller said. Cool Ranch Doritos contain Red 40, Blue 1, and Yellow 5.

She added the key challenge is finding kid-friendly alternatives: “The last thing we need them to do is stop participating in the school lunch program.”

Some parents of children with sensitivities had voiced concerns earlier. But Chris DeRico, nutrition director in Barbour County, said for most, it wasn't on their radar.

“In rural West Virginia, I don't think it's really on screens,” he said.

In Wood County, dye-free meals were already served during the summer. Nine-year-old Lilith Wilson, after eating a meatball sub with sweet potato fries and ice cream, gave her review: “Really good.”

Asked whether she liked school lunches in general, the soon-to-be fourth grader replied, “Sometimes I don't, sometimes I do. It just depends on what it is.”