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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fact Check: RFK Jr.'s effort to phase out artificial food dyes is not an outright ban — nor effective immediately
Claim: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on April 22, 2025, he will ban artificial dyes from all American food products, effective immediately. Rating: What's True: Kennedy did announce a planned phase-out of all synthetic, petroleum-based food dyes during a news conference on April 22, 2025. Also, the Food and Drug Administration announced it would revoke authorization for two specific, rarely used dyes. However … What's False: Officials merely asked food companies to voluntarily stop using the six more common synthetic food dyes, stopping short of an outright ban. Furthermore, officials hope to eliminate those dyes from America's food supply by the end of 2026, not immediately. On April 22, 2025, social media users began claiming that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a ban on artificial food dyes, effective immediately. The rumor spread widely on platforms like X, Facebook and Threads. For example, an X post dated April 22 with nearly 100,000 likes claimed: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has officially announced that, effective as of 4 PM EST today, artificial dyes will be banned from all food products." A community note underneath the post alleged that "the ban is not effective immediately." But neither the X post nor the community note was entirely accurate. Kennedy did, indeed, hold a news conference alongside Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary announcing the U.S. government's intention to phase out the use of all petroleum-based synthetic dyes in American food products. However, officials announced an outright ban only on two rarely used dyes; they will rely on voluntary cooperation from the food industry to end use of the remaining six and to accelerate a deadline set by the previous administration eliminating a dye known as Red No. 3. Furthermore, officials expressed the hope American food products will be free of synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, not immediately following the news conference. Thus, we rate this claim a mixture of truth and falsehood. The FDA, which HHS oversees, did not directly answer an inquiry from Snopes about whether the it intends to consider enforcement mechanisms for its stated timeline or an outright ban on artificial dyes. Instead, an unidentified HHS official said via email: "As Secretary Kennedy and Commissioner Makary stated during yesterday's press conference, the food companies HHS met with recognize the harmful effects of synthetic food dyes on children. These companies are eager to engage in discussions about phasing out these dyes to promote a healthier America." The research on the safety of these dyes is mixed, although growing evidence indicates an association between artificial dyes and behavioral and cognitive issues. An April 2021 review of research on the subject by the California Environmental Protection Agency found that the evidence suggests "synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in children, and that children vary in their sensitivity." But the FDA also reviews scientific literature as part of its efforts to regulate the dyes, and according to an agency Q&A webpage, "the totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives." Here is how Makary outlined the FDA's plans regarding food coloring during his April 22 news conference with Kennedy (at 7:16, emphasis ours): Today, the FDA is taking the following steps. No. 1: establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petroleum-based food dyes to natural alternatives. No. 2: initiating a process to revoke authorization of synthetic food colorings, including those not in production, namely Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, within the coming weeks. No. 3: taking steps to eliminate the remaining six synthetic dyes on the market from the U.S. food supply, specifically Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, Yellow Dye No. 6, Blue Dye No. 1, Blue Dye No. 2 and Green Dye No. 3 by the end of next year. We are also requesting food companies to remove Red Dye No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously announced. A full video of the news conference is available here. As Makary states, the FDA will only end authorization — and thus permissible use for — two of the dyes: Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B. Both are rarely used by the food industry. Neither the FDA nor HHS set an immediate or specific deadline for banning these dyes; while Makary, as shown above, said the FDA will revoke authorization for the two dyes in "the coming weeks," HHS wrote in an April 22 news release that the ban will happen "in the coming months." As far as the other six more commonly used dyes are concerned, the "steps" taken appear to be simply asking the food industry not to use the other dyes by a requested timeline of "the end of next year," or 2026. Thus, the FDA's announcement does not mean a ban on all artificial food coloring, nor does it mean an immediate ban on any synthetic food dyes. Former President Joe Biden's administration revoked authorization for Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs on Jan. 15, 2025, with a deadline set for Jan. 15, 2027 for food and Jan. 18, 2028 for drugs. While Makary said the agency requested that food and drug industries move that deadline up, HHS did not set a specific earlier deadline in the news conference or in its accompanying news release. According to Kennedy, the U.S. government requested that the food industry phase out use of artificial dyes and the industry agreed — which, by definition, is not a ban because officials are not prohibiting the industry from doing anything, at least not as of this writing. See this exchange between Kennedy and Food Fix reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich during the news conference at 44:09 (emphasis ours): EVICH: You mentioned that the goal is to work with the food industry to get most of the major synthetic food dyes out. What is the plan if the food industry does not voluntarily agree to do that, and what are the next steps if you can't get agreement within the industry? KENNEDY: Well, here the industry has voluntarily agreed. … I think as we move forward, we are going to work with the industry. They've shown a lot of leadership on this right now. In fact, we're getting food companies now, and fast-food companies who are calling us almost every day, and asking us, "How do we do this, what do you want us to do, will you do a press conference with us?" and so we're really happy with the reception — and I think they're ready to change the industry; they have children too. Furthermore, officials acknowledged that this effort does not involve any regulatory or legislative changes during an exchange with New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg (at 52:59, emphasis ours): STOLBERG: I just want to make sure we understand the parameters of this agreement with the food companies. Do you actually have a settlement with the food companies and a formal agreement for them to adhere to these guidelines, and if so, why don't we have anyone from the food industry here? KENNEDY: I would say we don't have an agreement, we have an understanding, but I'm gonna let Marty take this question. MAKARY: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. You win more bees with honey than fire. Good to see you, Sheryl. So, there are a number of tools at our disposal. And so, I believe in love, and let's start in a friendly way, and see if we can do this without any statutory or regulatory changes, but we are exploring every tool in the toolbox to make sure this gets done very quickly. And they want to do it. They want to do it. So why go down a complicated road with Congress when they want to do this? It is worth noting that no major food industry group has appeared to publicly concede to the 2026 deadline in full. Many wrote noncommittal statements that called artificial dyes "safe"; meanwhile, the International Dairy Foods Association announced a voluntary pledge to end use of artificial colors in products specifically sold through federal K-12 school meal programs by July 2026. The association's pledge covers "more than 50 dairy and food companies," which represents "nearly all of the dairy foods sold to schools in the U.S." Confusion about whether Kennedy announced a prohibition on artificial food dyes is understandable, given that many reputable news outlets, such as the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, wrote in their headlines that Kennedy announced a "ban" on food dyes — in contrast to other outlets, such as CBS News, which wrote, "FDA stops short of synthetic food dye ban, calls on industry to stop use." But the headlines don't tell the full story; The New York Times, for example, wrote in its story that Kennedy "asserted he has 'an understanding' with major food manufacturers to remove petroleum-based food colorings from their products by 2026" and then noted that "none have publicly agreed" to Kennedy's demands. (One of the reporters on the New York Times story was Stolberg, the reporter who clarified with Makary that the government's supposed agreement with the food companies does not mean any regulatory changes will occur.) In conclusion, Kennedy and the FDA, on April 22, 2025, revealed a plan to phase out synthetic food colorings from American food products. But the effort largely requires voluntary participation from the industries involved, rather than regulatory, legislative or policy changes that would constitute a ban on artificial food dye. Furthermore, should the plan go exactly as described, the country's food supply won't be free of synthetic dyes until the end of 2026. Bailey, M. M. "Synthetic Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks." Center for Science in the Public Interest, 15 Apr. 2024, Accessed 23 Apr. 2025. Children's Environmental Health Center, et al. Health Effects Assessment Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children. Apr. 2021, Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. "Definition of BAN." Accessed 23 Apr. 2025. FDA. "Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers." FDA, Dec. 2023, Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. ---. "Summary of Color Additives for Use in the United States." U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024, Accessed 24 Apr. 2025. "Healthy Dairy in Schools Commitment." IDFA, Accessed 23 Apr. 2025. "HHS, FDA to Phase out Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes in Nation's Food Supply." 22 Apr. 2025, Accessed 23 Apr. 2025. "NCA Statement on HHS, FDA Announcement Regarding Food Dyes." NCA, 22 Apr. 2025, Accessed 23 Apr. 2025. PBS NewsHour. "WATCH LIVE: RFK Jr. To Announce Phasing out of Artificial Food Dyes." 22 Apr. 2025, Accessed 23 Apr. 2025. Rubino, Natalie. "Consumer Brands Issues Statement on HHS, FDA Phasing out Food Dyes from Food Supply - Consumer Brands Association." Consumer Brands Association, 22 Apr. 2025, Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Scientific American
22-04-2025
- Health
- Scientific American
What We Know about Artificial Food Dyes and Health as RFK, Jr., Declares a U.S. Ban
On Tuesday Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced plans to order the U.S. food industry to eliminate eight petroleum-based food dyes within the next two years, based on some evidence that links them to health risks. The move by Kennedy, the Trump administration's secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, follows his earlier promises to ban various chemical food additives—including artificial colorings that are commonly used to brighten rainbow-colored cereals, pastries, chips, candies and other processed foods. Individual states, such as California and West Virginia, have also independently pushed legislation to ban certain food dyes and preservatives this year. At today's press event, Kennedy discussed the directive and various claims about the nutritional value of foods alongside Food and Drug Administration director Marty Makary, National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya and other public officials. Makary said they will establish a timeline for the food industry transition to 'natural alternatives.' 'There's no reason not to remove [such artificial food dyes] if they're there just for visual appeal. If there's no health-promoting purpose, and there's actually even the slightest risk of detriments to health, then why not remove them?' says Kathleen Melanson, a nutritional scientist at the University of Rhode Island. She adds, however, that these chemical dyes are likely only part of the problem. 'There's so much more to food than single factors,' Melanson says. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. What It Means The FDA currently certifies nine color additives for use in foods. By this past January the outgoing Biden administration had already started the process to ban one of them, Red No. 3. Kennedy will target the other eight artificial food dyes, such as Yellow No. 5, Blue No. 1 and Red No. 40. The decision to ban Red No. 3 was based on a study in which male rats developed thyroid tumors after being exposed to high levels of the substance. Even though other studies in humans and animals failed to show similar results, the dye was banned under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act's Delaney Clause, explains Tracy Crane, an associate professor of medical oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the University of Miami Health System. 'In the Delaney Clause, [proponents of the ban] were able to state that anything that caused cancer in humans or animals could be eliminated from the diet, and that's what happened with Red No. 3,' says Crane, who had wondered if other food dyes would experience the same fate. 'There are definitely studies for some of these [dyes] that are on the list that have shown cancer-causing properties in mice.' What the Evidence Says Older animal studies have associated some blue, yellow and red dyes with risks of tumor development and neurotoxicity. Some research suggests the neurotoxicity may contribute to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Melanson calls the evidence 'mixed,' however. Direct exposure has only been tested in animals. Human data have been mostly limited to population or epidemiological studies—in which participants have been asked to recall and self-report the foods they've eaten. This has led some scientists to say there is not enough information to make conclusions about food dyes' potential health threats. An FDA research review on food dyes' potential effects on children's behavior also concluded that most children didn't experience adverse effects, though some individuals may be sensitive to some dyes. The FDA states that color additives are safe to consume when they are used according to the agency's regulations. And the International Association of Color Manufacturers, a group representing the global color industry, has previously said that the small levels of artificial food dyes that humans typically eat are generally safe. (At press time, the association has not responded to a request for comment from Scientific American.) 'The danger is always in the dose,' Melanson says. A Wall Street Journal analysis evaluated U.S. Department of Agriculture data for more than 450,000 food products and found that 10 percent contained at least one artificial dye—and that more than 40 percent had multiple dyes. 'When food additives are approved, they're generally tested one at a time,' Melanson says. 'We don't know what happens with interactions.' Consuming a food with multiple dyes makes it difficult to know the total dose that has been ingested, Melanson says. The accumulative effects of a whole diet comprised of many different foods with artificial dyes, consumed over a lifetime, is even harder to assess. A disease like cancer takes a long time develop, Crane says, noting, 'It's very hard for us to really know what the direct impact of these food diets is.' She adds that not all the dyes are made the same and each may be processed in the body differently. Melanson and Crane agree that food dyes are just one ingredient that may contribute to health risks. 'It's not just about one type of ingredients; it's about every ingredient that's in there,' Melanson says. 'If it's all tunnel vision on one factor without considering these other potential risk factors—the excess of sodium and sugar and processing, lack of fiber, lack of fortifying nutrients—then we might be missing some aspects.' More details are pending, but it's expected that food manufacturers may have to alter their production practices or consider alternative coloring additives. Natural, food-based sources such as turmeric, paprika, pumpkin or carrot have been used as well. But it's unclear what the transition will cost manufacturers and federal agencies, Melanson says. Currently, manufacturers have until 2027 to remove Red No. 3 from food products and until 2028 to remove it from medicines. At today's press briefing, however, RFK, Jr., and other health officials asserted that this dye and the others need to be removed sooner, though no official timeline was presented. 'I know these procedures take time, and food manufacturers have to reformulate,' Melanson says. 'But in the meantime, Americans can consider backing off ultraprocessed foods—the ones that are obviously at the high end of the spectrum of processing and formulation.'
Bloomberg
12-02-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Parents Were Pushing for Safer Foods Long Before RFK Jr.'s MAHA
Hi, it's Deena in New York. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda, and the MAHA moms who back it, have grabbed a lot of attention lately. But people have been pushing for safer food for years. More on that in a moment, but first … One of President Joe Biden's final acts was to ban the dye Red No. 3. Considering that it was first linked to cancer more than 30 years ago, this had a lot of people asking, 'what took so long?'
