8 harmful dyes will soon be phased out of US food under plans unveiled by FDA, RFK Jr. — here's what could be next
The dye is cast.
Eight harmful petroleum-based synthetic dyes will soon be phased out of the American food supply, according to plans unveiled Tuesday by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary.
Over the coming months, the FDA will revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings — Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B — and collaborate with the food industry to remove six other synthetic dyes.
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'For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,' Makary declared during the announcement at HHS Tuesday.
4 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. harked back to his childhood when chronic illnesses were much rarer.
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The other six synthetic dyes that will get phased out over time include Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2 — which can be found in foods such as Pop-Tarts, hot dog casings, Takis and Mountain Dew.
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As part of the reform measures, health officials at the FDA and HHS plan to set up a timeline with food companies to push the industry away from petrochemical-based dyes and toward natural alternatives.
To boost that transition, the FDA plans to authorize four natural color alternatives within the next few weeks and accelerate the review of others.
4 MAHA moms joined the HHS secretary and the FDA commissioner during the announcement.
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'If they want to add petroleum, [if] they want to eat petroleum, they ought to add it themselves at home, but they shouldn't be feeding it to the rest of us without our knowledge or consent,' Kennedy said.
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Health officials also plan to pressure food companies to eliminate Red No. 3 faster than the prior deadline of 2027-2028. Red No. 3, which was approved in 1907 and is found in candy, cakes and cupcakes and frostings, has been linked to cancer and behavioral issues, according to the FDA.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to research the adverse effects of food additives on children's health.
4 Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary urged food companies to turn toward natural alternatives for dyes.
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Makary pointed to studies such as one by The Lancet that raised concerns about the 'correlation' between petroleum-based synthetic dyes and ailments such as hyperactivity, obesity, diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal problems, allergies and more.
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'For companies that are currently using petroleum-based red dye, try watermelon juice,' he suggested. 'For companies currently combining petroleum-based yellow chemical and red dyes together, try carrot juice.'
The FDA has confirmed that it is monitoring potential links between some of the dyes and hyperactivity, but has also acknowledged that a firm connection has not been completely established.
4 Artificial food dyes are prominent in an array of food products such as cereals, snacks and more.
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There are a total of 36 FDA-approved food dyes, including the nine artificial ones that come in part from petroleum and others that are derived from natural foods like vegetables.
Eliminating chemical additives in food has been a key objective of the 'Make America Healthy Again Movement' (MAHA) that Kennedy has championed.
'All of these industries cast a dark shadow historically over this agency and there's so many conflicts that we are now systematically eliminating that has allowed them to suppress the science,' Kennedy lamented. 'There's shockingly few studies, even on food dyes.'
The HHS secretary admitted that, for now, his department doesn't have a formal agreement with the food industry for its phase-out plan but has an 'understanding' with the top companies about the additives he wants to eliminate.
'You win more bees with honey than fire,' Makary said when pressed about the mechanics of how the FDA and HHS plan to remove the artificial dyes from food products.
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'Let's start in a friendly way and see if we can do this without any statutory or regulatory changes,' he said. 'But we are exploring every tool in the toolbox to make sure this gets done very quickly.
'They want to do it.'
Over recent weeks, executives at fast food chains and other food companies have been 'calling us almost every day' inquiring about the changes they should make, Kennedy claimed. Despite his qualms with the industry, Kennedy claimed that top food companies have 'shown a lot of leadership on this right now.'
The Kennedy scion indicated that the effort to root out petroleum-based artificial dyes in the food supply is merely the opening salvo to his MAHA agenda.
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'We're going to start on that next,' he said when asked by a reporter about pharmaceutical additives he eliminated.
Other changes he intends to make include a public awareness campaign to encourage healthy habits and an 'open source website' in which federal health officials will 'post all the information we have about every additive.'
'There's things that we'll never be able to eliminate, like sugar. And sugar is poison. And Americans need to know that,' Kennedy said, before later noting he wants 'zero' sugar in American food.
Some of the reforms he wants, such as strengthening labeling requirements and trying to reduce the use of ingredients like sugar, will require congressional input.
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Kennedy was flanked by a slew of MAGA moms and other prominent backers of his crusade to overhaul food practices in the US.
'If a foreign nation was doing to our children what we are doing in America, we'd go to war to protect them,' chronic illness guru Dr. Mark Hyman remarked during a brief speech backing the dye announcement.
'Every day, Americans consume thousands of chemicals in our food, many of which have never been independently tested for long-term safety.'
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West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R), whom Kennedy fat-shamed as someone who 'looks like he ate governor Morrisey' a few weeks ago, praised the initiative as a worthy fight for the country's children.
'I want to get the crap out of our food and improve the quality of school meals,' Morrisey explained. 'They deserve real food, not chemical shortcuts designed to fool the eye but harm the body. That's what making America healthy again means to us.'
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