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New York Times
25-04-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Kennedy Wants to Ban Some Food Dyes. Here's What the Data Shows.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that it would work to remove some artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply, citing concerns about how they might affect children's health. Among the dyes that the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is targeting are colorings common in ultraprocessed foods like candy, chips and some cereals. In a news conference on Tuesday announcing the effort, Dr. Marty Makary, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, linked these dyes to obesity, diabetes, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cancer and other health conditions in children. Several, mostly small studies have found a link between some artificial food dyes and behavioral issues, which medical experts have said is cause for concern and warrants further research. But some said it is unclear if removing the dyes would have a meaningful effect on rates of childhood obesity, diabetes or other problems. 'Nobody's going to be sad to see the food dyes go, but it's definitely not the panacea that it's being portrayed as,' said Lindsey Smith Taillie, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health. What dyes are supposed to be phased out? Dr. Makary named eight specific colorings that the agency would seek to phase out: Blue No. 1 and 2; Citrus Red No. 2; Green No. 3; Orange B; Red No. 40; and Yellow No. 5 and 6. Exactly how the agency plans to do that remains unclear. Mr. Kennedy said major food manufacturers had reached an 'understanding' with him. The F.D.A. said it would begin the process of revoking the authorizations of Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, which are not widely used. The other six would be subject to Mr. Kennedy's nonbinding agreement with manufacturers. Dr. Makary said in the news conference that the process would be complete by the end of 2026. But it remains to be seen whether that timeline is logistically possible or whether the government can enforce it. In January, during the final days of the Biden administration, the F.D.A. banned another coloring, Red Dye No. 3, from food products. Research has shown that the dye, which had already been banned from cosmetics and some medications, can cause cancer in male rats. Food manufacturers can use various natural compounds to color their products in the absence of artificial dyes, though switching a product from artificial to natural dyes requires time and testing. The F.D.A. said this week that it would 'fast-track' authorization of four alternatives: calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue and butterfly pea flower extract. There is limited evidence around the health effects of those alternatives, said Emily Barrett, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health who has studied food contaminants. What does the research show? While there is some research on food dyes and health risks, there are a few factors that make the subject hard to study. It's challenging to examine any potential long-term effects, since the dyes pass relatively quickly through the body, said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. The trials that do exist in humans, Dr. Barrett noted, have largely examined the effects in the hours right after children consume artificial dyes. Many of the studies also look at mixtures of dyes, which makes it hard to say that any one in particular is the most problematic, explained Asa Bradman, a professor of public health at the University of California at Merced who has studied food dyes. But the evidence we do have points to a connection between certain synthetic dyes and behavioral changes in some children. One 2007 study out of Britain involved giving young children drinks containing blends of food additives like Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6. The trial showed that these additives were linked with increased hyperactivity and lowered attention span over a six-week period. And in a 2021 report, scientists in California examined 27 studies in children, most of which were small, and concluded that common synthetic food dyes — FD&C Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 — can interfere with normal behavior in some children. The food industry has long said that the ingredients it uses have been well-studied and shown to be safe. Nutrition experts noted that many ultraprocessed foods that contain artificial dyes also contain a lot of sugar, sodium and saturated fat, and far fewer nutrients than fresh foods do. While ultraprocessed foods have been linked to obesity and diabetes, there is no evidence directly linking artificial dyes to either condition, said Peter G. Lurie, the president of the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has lobbied to remove synthetic dyes from the food supply. When it comes to rising rates of A.D.H.D., 'it's certainly not that food dyes are the single culprit, by any means,' said Dr. Barrett, who peer-reviewed the California report. Dr. Barrett said she would welcome larger, stronger studies 'to actually answer some of these questions definitively.' Mr. Kennedy has said that the National Institutes of Health will study these kinds of food additives in more detail. Will removing the dyes make children healthier? Dr. Taillie said there was no harm in getting rid of artificial food dyes. Even if they don't cause serious health effects, she said, they don't provide benefits. But she does not expect such a switch to improve rates of obesity and chronic disease, which she said are largely driven by other ingredients in the foods that children consume, not the dyes. 'You can take the yellow dye out of mac and cheese and replace it with turmeric, but you're still giving your kid a food that's ultraprocessed and packed with sodium,' Dr. Taillie said. It's not clear what effect removing these dyes might have on children's behavior, Dr. Barrett said. Some European countries have stricter regulations on artificial colorings than the U.S., adding warning labels to foods with certain synthetic dyes. It isn't clear whether rates of A.D.H.D., for example, have decreased as a result of these policies. 'This one thing is unlikely to reduce A.D.H.D. diagnoses,' Dr. Sathyanarayana said. But, she added, it's possible that removing synthetic dyes might reduce children's symptoms in isolated cases. For example, a child who eats copious amounts of candy on Halloween may be less likely to become hyperactive afterward. Dr. Taillie expressed skepticism that manufacturers would comply with Mr. Kennedy's voluntary 'understanding.' She said that historically, mandates have been much more effective than voluntary measures at getting particular ingredients out of the food supply. For example, she said, there wasn't much movement on trans fat until the government required that it be listed on nutrition labels. Calley Means, a special government employee within the Department of Health and Human Services and an adviser to Mr. Kennedy, said, 'The food industry can do this the hard way or the easy way.' He added: 'We are confident they'll take the easy way.' In a statement on Tuesday, Melissa Hockstad, the president and chief executive of the Consumer Brands Association — which represents packaged goods companies including PepsiCo and Nestlé — said the companies she represented intended to 'increase the use of alternative ingredients.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. champions ban on artificial food dyes as states follow suit
In addition to his fight against ultra-processed foods and seed oils, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing to ban artificial food dyes from the nation's food supply — and many states are following suit. Last week, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed into law a bill that was passed earlier this month by state lawmakers banning seven food dyes commonly found in food products and drugs. The ban applies to Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2 and Green No. 3 along with the preservatives butylated hydroxyanisole and propylparaben. 'West Virginia ranks at the bottom of many public health metrics, which is why there's no better place to lead the Make America Healthy Again mission,' Morrisey said in a statement obtained by CBS News, citing RFK Jr.'s ongoing campaign. 'By eliminating harmful chemicals from our food, we're taking steps toward improving the health of our residents and protecting our children from significant long-term health and learning challenges.' Starting Aug. 1, the dyes will be banned from meals served through school nutrition programs, according to the governor's office. On Jan. 1, 2028, the dyes and the two preservatives will not be allowed in drugs and foods sold in the state. According to the Environmental Working Group, a food safety advocacy group, 58 states have introduced legislation targeting artificial food dyes and food chemicals. Twenty of those states — including Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia and New York — have introduced nearly 40 bills within the first three months of this year. Arizona's H.B. 2164, for example, would prohibit public schools from serving or selling foods containing the following additives: Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide and brominated vegetable oil (BVO). Additionally, New York's S. 1239 and A.B. 1556 would ban the sale, distribution and production of food products containing Red No. 3, potassium bromate and propylparaben. It would also ban public schools from serving or selling foods containing Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2 and Green No. 3. The recent legislation comes after California enacted the California Food Safety Act back in 2023. The law prohibits the use of four harmful additives — potassium bromate, propylparaben, Red No. 3 and BVO — in food products sold, manufactured or distributed in the state. Last year, California also enacted the California School Food Safety Act, which bans Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2 and Green No. 3 from food served in public schools. Concerns about artificial food dyes have regained traction in the wake of the Trump administration. RFK Jr. and supporters claim that synthetic dyes are both unnecessary and harmful, pointing to reports linking such dyes to behavioral problems in children. Most recently, RFK Jr. urged CEOs of several food industry giants — including PepsiCo, General Mills, Smucker's, Kraft Heinz, and Kellogg's — to eliminate artificial food dyes from their products. The secretary 'expressed the strong desire and urgent priority of the administration to remove [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, or FD&C] colors from the food supply,' said Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, in a readout first reported by Food Fix. RFK Jr. reportedly 'wants this done before he leaves office' and expects 'real and transformative' change by 'getting the worst ingredients out' of food. The readout also included a statement from Kyle Diamantas, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who attended the closed-door meeting. Diamantas 'recognized the industry can't [eliminate harmful colorants and additives from the food supply] alone and that FDA will step up and work with [industry and stakeholders] to reinforce the need for a federal framework and avoid state patchworks,' per the FDA permits the use of 36 color additives in food and drinks, including nine artificial dyes. They include Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Orange B, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Red No. 3 and Citrus Red 2. In January, the FDA banned Red No. 3 from the nation's food supply in response to a 2022 color additive petition filed by two dozen food safety and health advocates. The petition found that Red No. 3 causes cancer in male laboratory rats exposed to high levels of the dye. Although similar effects were not observed in other animals and humans, they were enough for the FDA to issue a ban. Red No. 3 — which gives certain foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red hue — is commonly found in candies, artificial fruit products, processed meats, frozen desserts and baked goods and snacks. 'Manufacturers who use FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs will have until January 15, 2027, or January 18, 2028, respectively, to reformulate their products,' the FDA said in a statement. 'Consumers could see FD&C Red No. 3 as an ingredient in a food or drug product on the market past the effective date in the order if that product was manufactured before the effective date.'
