Eight Harmful Dyes Will Be Phased Out Of American Food Supply: RFK Jr.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a milestone step toward reducing artificial additives in the American food supply, a move that could reshape everything from cereal bowls to candy aisles. The agency is rolling out sweeping measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This initiative is part of Kennedy Jr.'s broader "Make America Healthy Again" campaign and includes revoking authorization for certain artificial dyes while working with the food industry to voluntarily remove others. The decision comes amid growing concerns about potential links between synthetic dye consumption and health conditions such as ADHD, obesity, and diabetes, as discussed during a joint press conference.
"Today, the FDA is taking action to remove petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply and from medications. For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals," said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary at the event.
As part of the plan, the FDA will "revoke authorization" for two synthetic food dyes, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, within the coming months. The agency also plans to work with the food industry to phase out six more widely used dyes: FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2, by the end of next year.
"These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children's health and development. That era is coming to an end. We're restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public's trust. And we're doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day," Kennedy Jr. said in a news release.
Meanwhile, the agency also announced plans to authorize four new natural color additives in the coming weeks, while fast-tracking the review and approval of additional natural alternatives. It will also be partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch comprehensive research into how food additives affect children's health and development.
Originally published on Medical Daily
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
2 days ago
- DW
Fecal transplants: Study is a 'wake-up call' for the field – DW – 06/06/2025
They are hailed as a promising method to restore gut microbiomes, but a study suggests fecal transplants may bring unintended health risks. Fecal microbial transplants (FMTs) can be traced back to the 4th Century, but it is only since their approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in past decade that the procedure has entered wide practice. They have been hailed as a treatment for Clostridium difficile or a common bacterial infection that can cause inflammation and gastrointestinal issues. The FDA first approved FMTs as a treatment for in 2013 and approved the first drug for FMT treatment in 2022. Some think FMTs may also be an option for treating Crohn's disease— a chronic autoimmune condition — ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel disorder. But researchers warned in a study published June 6, 2025, that FMTs may introduce microbes that could hijack the host environment to suit their needs and thrive, potentially introducing new health risks. The study, which was performed in mice, human tissue samples and with a small volunteer group, found "mismatches" between the donor fecal matter and destination gut environment could have unintended consequences on the recipient's immune and metabolic function. "Even a single FMT will cause a change in the host-microbe relationships in these very different regions of the bowel that may be very difficult to reverse," said Eugene Chang, the study's senior author and a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, US, in a press statement. How does a fecal transplant work? Every human has a unique mix of microbes in their gastrointestinal tract — the gut. This includes trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that perform biological duties within the body. Collectively, this collection of microbes is called gut flora. For some people, this ecosystem of microbes is disrupted by infections, autoimmune issues and other problems. This disrupted state is called gut dysbiosis. FMT donors need to meet a range of requirements: For instance, they must be free of blood-related infections, such as hepatitis and HIV, and they cannot have gut issues themselves. Doctors usually perform a colonoscopy to extract the donor's stool and, after further preparation, insert the donor microbes via a long tube into the recipient's gut. How does a Fecal Microbiota Transplant work? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Colonizing the colon In the study, microbes were taken from three separate regions of the small and large intensities and implanted into mice recipients. Each batch of newly introduced gut flora appeared to take over — or, as described by the researchers, "terraform" — the entire intestinal tract of each mouse, rather than simply occupying the same region they originated from in the donor's gut. The colonizing microbes also transformed genes and proteins in the tissues of the recipient mice to make a more accommodating environment — even at a microbial level, these introduced species appeared to thrive. An assessment in seven human volunteers over a month also found high levels of microbe colonization in the small intestine. Because this caused modifications to immune and metabolic functions, the researchers say greater care should be given to designing fecal transplants that use specific, targeted microbes for the intestines. The gut is not only for digestion To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A 'wake-up call' for the FMT field The study's lead author, Orlando DeLeon, University of Chicago, said it was a "wake-up call to the field that maybe we shouldn't willy-nilly put large bowel microbes into different parts of the intestine that shouldn't be there." OMT — omni microbial transplantation — administers a batch of good gut flora as a pill or through endoscopy, targeting specific intestinal regions with "matched" microbes. DeLeon said it's a better way forward for fecal transplants. "The microbes that were supposed to be there are better suited for it," said DeLeon, "so they're more naturally going to fill it even in the presence of other microbes." DW approached the research group for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication. Ed Kuijper, an expert at the Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands, who was not involved in the study, told DW via email that the research "clearly demonstrates that FMT […] affects the microbiota composition throughout the entire intestinal tract, in both humans and mice." But Kuijper said he had concerns with the conclusion that FMT leads to "microbiota mismatches" and "unintended consequences" in various regions of the intestinal tract. Just as the research team acknowledged the limitations of only investigating seven human subjects over a month, Kuijper said a more extensive assessment in patients would be important to conclusively assess the potential negative health outcomes of fecal transplants. "A more appropriate conclusion would be that FMT induces changes in both the small and large intestines in mice, with systemic effects that vary depending on the region affected. It remains unclear if these changes persist in humans." In Europe, an inter-organization group called EurFMT exchanges research and information, and maintains a continental registry for patient follow-up. Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany
DW
4 days ago
- DW
Secret leprosy infected the Americas before European arrival – DW – 06/04/2025
European colonizers were thought to have brought leprosy to the Americas, but a new study reveals it existed there for thousands of years and spread by a recently discovered bacteria species. What to know: Leprosy is one of the oldest human diseases and originated in Eurasia or Africa. A new study has found a different species of leprosy-causing bacteria existed in the Americas before European settlement. Scientists once believed Europeans brought leprosy to the American continents via infection from the bacterial species Mycobacterium leprae. But now a new study published in the journal Science reveals that a different form of leprosy-causing bacteria — called Mycobacterium lepromatosis — was already circulating in the Americas for at least one thousand years. Leprosy was therefore already affecting American indigenous peoples well before European colonization. For years, it was believed Mycobacterium leprae bacteria were the only cause of leprosy. That changed with the discovery of a new leprosy-causing Mycobacterium in 2008. Image: public domain Mycobacterium lepromatosis in America The study authors analyzed more than 800 samples taken from ancient remains in Canada and Argentina. The genomes of the bacteria taken from the samples were reconstructed, analyzed, and dated. Comparisons between the samples showed the bacterial genomes were of distinctive branches of the lepromatosis species at each end of the continent. However, they remained genetically similar. This suggested that the bacteria species had spread rapidly across the Americas, probably covering the landmass in just a few hundred years. Leprosy is caused by two bacteria species, not one. Leprosy is an ancient disease Leprosy has been infecting humans for thousands of years. Skeletal records from 2,000BCE have been found in India with traces of the disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. These are matched by textual records of leprosy cases in ancient literature from Indian, Chinese and African civilizations, as well as stories in the Abrahamic religions. Often, these ancient descriptions associated the affliction with stigmas of immorality or ritual uncleanliness. But in 1874 the Norwegian doctor Gerhard Armauer Hansen discovered that leprosy was caused by the microscopic organism Mycobacterium leprae. In 2008, doctors in Mexico found another leprosy-causing bacteria species — Mycobacterium lepromatosis — in a leprosy patient. Before this, it was believed leprae was the only pathogen capable of causing the disease. Now both forms of the bacteria are known to cause it. Leprosy has been stigmatized around the world for thousands of years, but with quick medical treatment, its dangerous symptoms can be reduced Image: Nyein Chan Naing/dpa/picture alliance Europeans spread diseases, leprosy too Nicolas Rascovan, head of the Microbial Paleogenomics Unit at the Pasteur Institut in France led the investigation. He and his colleagues estimate lepromatosis and leprae diverged from a common ancestor about one million years ago. "The diversification happened probably independent of humans," Rascovan told DW. The arrival of the first European fleets to the Americas in 1492 marked the introduction of new diseases to the Americas. Leprosy — in the form of the leprae bacterium — was among them. Archaeological evidence has shown leprae migrated with human groups out of Africa and into Asia and Europe around 40,000 years ago. Its introduction to the Americas along with other diseases by Europeans devastated indigenous communities and intensified the impact of pathogens that were already circulating before colonization. The discovery of lepromatosis' longer history on the continent further highlights the diversity of pathogens and their complex relationship with humans throughout history, said Rascovan. "Europeans had a very important impact by bringing this new species [leprae] that was absent in America," he said. Indonesian leprosy survivors stepping over social stigmas To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Leprosy track and trace Rascovan hopes the presence of lepromatosis in the archeological record will improve understanding of pre-colonial disease, especially in the absence of written records. In addition, the study helps understand modern cases of leprosy, especially how it could make the jump from animals like squirrels to humans. "Our work is giving the kick start to really start analyzing, monitoring and understanding the diversity of natural reservoirs [disease carriers],' said Rascovan. He said monitoring the disease and preventing spillovers from animals to humans should be a priority. The disease is still prevalent today — 200,000 cases are reported each year globally. Brazil, India and Indonesia still report more than 10,000 new cases annually, according to WHO data. The disease presents as multiple numbing skin lesions. If left untreated, the disease can result in nerve damage, muscle weakness, paralysis and blindness. Today, leprosy can be treated with antibiotics, but ancient sufferers weren't so fortunate. Edited by: Fred Schwaller
DW
5 days ago
- DW
Gaza civilians struggle as aid fails to reach north – DW – 06/03/2025
Civilians in northern Gaza face severe food shortages as aid fails to reach the area. Families are making do with one meal a day — and lack many essentials like clean water and cooking gas. Before the war, Hazem Lubbad was a university student, supporting his studies while working as a waiter at a restaurant in Gaza City. For the past 19 months, he has been hunkering down with his extended family in Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood in the northwest of Gaza City. Many neighboring areas, such as Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, have been ordered by the Israeli military to 'evacuate' and move south. The area faces constant Israeli airstrikes and shelling, residents say, as well as a desperate struggle to find enough food. Moving around the area is dangerous, too. "We eat whatever is available, one meal a day, from morning until late at night. Sometimes it is lentils; sometimes it is pasta," the 21-year-old Palestinian said in a video message from Gaza. Food has been in short supply throughout the war, Lubbad said. Now, some food has begun to trickle into Gaza after an 11-week blockade imposed by the Israeli government, but residents say it is still not reaching the north. Children in Gaza live a life in constant fear To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Israelclosed the crossings and halted all aid deliveries into Gaza on March 2. Israeli officials said that Hamas was stealing aid and using it to supply its own fighters, without providing evidence to support this claim. Hamas, which is in charge of Gaza, is considered a terrorist group by Israel, Germany, the US and several other countries. Civilians face daily struggle for food amid war "There has been no flour for a month and a half to two months. A kilo of flour on the black-market costs 80–100 shekels (roughly €20-24 or $22-28), and the situation we are living in does not allow us to buy it," explained Lubbad, adding that no one in the family has a regular income anymore due to the war. Lubbad said that they had set up a basic solar-powered phone charging station where people could recharge their phones in exchange for money. "Without this money, there's no income," he said. This means that he cannot afford to buy much in the markets, where prices have skyrocketed. According to residents, some of the aid that recently entered Gaza was looted by desperate and hungry people. Others are selling food at inflated prices. Israel has not allowed foreign journalists into Gaza since it launched its war following the Hamas terror attacks in 2023, so DW often has to rely on talking to Gazans over the phone. Residents in the north are also watching with horror at the news of almost daily killings of people trying to reach food distribution sites in southern Gaza. These sites are run by a private American-Israeli company called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and secured by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private US-backed aid group, recently started operating in Gaza Image: AFP/Getty Images The United Nations and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new food distribution system, arguing that it would be unable to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants and would allow Israel to use food as a means of controlling the population. There are no distribution sites in northern Gaza and for people in the north it would be too far and dangerous to get to them. The UN said it is permitted to bring in a limited number of trucks with flour, which is only allowed by Israel to be distributed to bakeries, as well as some other supplies, such as medical items and baby food. UN-OCHA speaks of 'deprivation by design' "It is engineered scarcity," said Jonathan Whittall, head of UN-OCHA, in a briefing with journalists in Jerusalem last week, adding that aid should reach all civilians wherever they are — and should not be limited. "This new scheme is surveillance-based rationing that legitimizes a policy of deprivation by design. And it comes at a time when people in Gaza, half of whom are children, are facing a crisis of survival." There is a widespread shortage of food as well as clean water and cooking gas. People resort to burning rubbish or pieces of wood salvaged from bombed-out buildings to cook. Resumed Gaza aid deliveries fail to alleviate hunger To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Tuesday, in another of such incident, news agencies, quoting local officials, reported there had been 27 deaths after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid center. People have to walk for many miles to reach these sites, which are located near Israeli militarized zones. Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF put out a statement. "During the movement of the crowd along the designated routes toward the aid distribution site — approximately half a kilometer from the site — IDF troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes," it said. "The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops." It added that the military is "aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being looked into." The military also said that it "allows the American Civil Organization (GHF) to operate independently in order to enable the distribution of aid to the Gazan residents — and not to Hamas." The International Red Cross (ICRC) said that its field hospital in Rafah had received "a mass casualty influx of 184 patients" on Tuesday morning. Nineteen cases were declared dead upon arrival, the statement said, and eight died shortly after. The majority of cases had suffered gunshot wounds. What is happening at the new distribution points for aid? Last week, DW spoke to a young man who had been displaced in southern Gaza and who had managed to obtain two food boxes from a GHF distribution point. "Anyone could carry as much as they could. There were no instructions about the number, no checks, or anything," Muhammad Qishta said by phone, adding that the boxes contained rice, sugar, flour, halva (sweet sesame paste), oil, biscuits, and pasta. "Since there were no clear instructions about which streets to take to get in and out of the area, some people entered streets they didn't know were off-limits, and there was gunfire. I ran quickly and didn't see anything, but I heard the sound of gunfire," 30-year-old Qishta said. In Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza, Hazem Lubbad and his relatives are staying put. They do not want to leave their area because "everywhere is the same bad situation. Everywhere is dangerous." Explosions are ongoing in Gaza — as are food shortages Image: Amir Cohen/REUTERS For now, Lubbad said they have also resorted to grinding pasta and lentils to make bread. "We make 20 pieces of pita bread daily and divide them among 13 people. Each person gets one or two pieces of bread per day. This helps us until we find something else to eat." Until recently, they were also able to buy dukkah, a spice mixture used as a dip for bread, but it is running low. The canned food they stocked up on when it was available has also run out, Lubbad said. "For the children, it is extremely difficult," he said. "One meal a day is simply not enough, but there is no food for more than one meal." Hazem Balousha contributed reporting Edited by: Jess Smee
