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West Australian
24-04-2025
- Health
- West Australian
‘Toxic soup': Food dyes set for US phase out under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. health push still on Aussie shelves
All six artificial food colours set to be phased out under a Trump administration crackdown sparked by concern about their potential impact on health are freely available in foods sold in Australia. Announced this week, the move away from artificial to natural colouring alternatives is expected to affect a wide range of US products that includes the famously bright, rainbow coloured Skittles. 'For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,' FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a press conference discussing the move. He said the FDA would work with industry to eliminate food dyes Green No. 3 (known in Australia as Fast Green FCF), Red No. 40 (Allura Red AC) , Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine), Yellow No. 6 (Sunset yellow FCF), Blue No. 1 Brilliant Blue FCF), and Blue No. 2 (Indigotine) by the end of next year. The FDA will also revoke authorisation within months for synthetic colourings Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B — which are already banned in Australia — and speed up the planned removal of Red Dye 3, which is permitted only in limited foods in Australia, including preserved cherries and icing/frosting, sooner than already planned. It's expected the US changes will require a potentially costly overhaul of recipes and their new look may affect their attractiveness to consumers. A spokesperson for FSANZ said it was aware of the FDA announcement, but said that the six new dyes targeted by the FDA were not harmful in the quantities allowed in the Australian food supply. 'The six colours in the FDA statement are all permitted under Schedule 16 of the Code under defined conditions of use in specific foods,' the spokesperson said. 'FSANZ surveys show that dietary exposure to food colours remains far below the acceptable daily intake, with levels under 5 per cent even including for children. These findings confirm there is no public health concern related to the use of approved food colours.' In Australia, food dyes are required to undergo a safety assessment by FSANZ before being added to food and drinks sold. A safety limit is set to ensure no-one will be able to eat the additive to an unsafe level. Backlash against artificial colours has been brewing in the US for more than a decade but the industry argues that claims the dyes were dangerous lack evidence. Last month, newly appointed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told top food executives that removing artificial dyes from the food system was an urgent priority of the Trump administration. He has previously used Kellogg's Froot Loops as his primary example when railing against artificial colourants. Under his so-called Make America Healthy Again platform he has argued a corrupt alliance of drug and food companies and the federal health agencies that regulate them are making Americans less healthy. He has pledged to end the chronic disease epidemic in children and adults, and has been vocal about making nutritious food, rather than drugs, central to that goal. Rather than an outright ban, Mr Makary said the FDA would work with industry to do it voluntarily. Mr Makary said the agency plans to authorise four additional colour additives using natural ingredients in the coming weeks, while also expediting the review and approval of other natural ingredient colours. He cited a Lancet study that concluded that artificial colours in the diet 'result in increased hyperactivity'. 'The F in FDA stands for food,' he said. 'Now, there's no one ingredient that accounts for the child chronic disease epidemic. And let's be honest, taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America's children healthy, but it is one important step.' — with CNBC
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Food dyes targeted in US crackdown still on Aussie shelves
All six artificial food colours set to be phased out under a Trump administration crackdown sparked by concern about their potential impact on health are freely available in foods sold in Australia. Announced this week, the move away from artificial to natural colouring alternatives is expected to affect a wide range of US products that includes the famously bright, rainbow coloured Skittles. 'For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,' FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a press conference discussing the move. He said the FDA would work with industry to eliminate food dyes Green No. 3 (known in Australia as Fast Green FCF), Red No. 40 (Allura Red AC) , Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine), Yellow No. 6 (Sunset yellow FCF), Blue No. 1 Brilliant Blue FCF), and Blue No. 2 (Indigotine) by the end of next year. The FDA will also revoke authorisation within months for synthetic colourings Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B — which are already banned in Australia — and speed up the planned removal of Red Dye 3, which is permitted only in limited foods in Australia, including preserved cherries and icing/frosting, sooner than already planned. It's expected the US changes will require a potentially costly overhaul of recipes and their new look may affect their attractiveness to consumers. It's expected the US changes will require a potentially costly overhaul of recipes. Credit: beats_ - A spokesperson for FSANZ said it was aware of the FDA announcement, but said that the six new dyes targeted by the FDA were not harmful in the quantities allowed in the Australian food supply. 'The six colours in the FDA statement are all permitted under Schedule 16 of the Code under defined conditions of use in specific foods,' the spokesperson said. 'FSANZ surveys show that dietary exposure to food colours remains far below the acceptable daily intake, with levels under 5 per cent even including for children. These findings confirm there is no public health concern related to the use of approved food colours.' In Australia, food dyes are required to undergo a safety assessment by FSANZ before being added to food and drinks sold. A safety limit is set to ensure no-one will be able to eat the additive to an unsafe level. Backlash against artificial colours has been brewing in the US for more than a decade but the industry argues that claims the dyes were dangerous lack evidence. Last month, newly appointed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told top food executives that removing artificial dyes from the food system was an urgent priority of the Trump administration. He has previously used Kellogg's Froot Loops as his primary example when railing against artificial colourants. Under his so-called Make America Healthy Again platform he has argued a corrupt alliance of drug and food companies and the federal health agencies that regulate them are making Americans less healthy. He has pledged to end the chronic disease epidemic in children and adults, and has been vocal about making nutritious food, rather than drugs, central to that goal. Rather than an outright ban, Mr Makary said the FDA would work with industry to do it voluntarily. Mr Makary said the agency plans to authorise four additional colour additives using natural ingredients in the coming weeks, while also expediting the review and approval of other natural ingredient colours. He cited a Lancet study that concluded that artificial colours in the diet 'result in increased hyperactivity'. 'The F in FDA stands for food,' he said. 'Now, there's no one ingredient that accounts for the child chronic disease epidemic. And let's be honest, taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America's children healthy, but it is one important step.' — with CNBC
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.'
