Latest news with #RedNo3
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hershey's Is Making a Big Change to Its Products
More of your favorite colorful treats are about to undergo a glow-up. Since the FDA announced in January that it was banning the dye known as Red No. 3 in foods, drinks, and ingested medications, we've seen more and more big manufacturers saying that they'll remove it by the 2027 deadline. But in April, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. started putting the pressure on to do more, asking companies to stop using the dyes Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellows No. 5 and 6, and Blues No. 1 and 2, all while noting that he also hopes to officially remove Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B from shelves soon. Now, food makers are beginning to take aggressive action. For example, Kraft Heinz has resolved to remove all synthetic colors from its products by 2027. That includes brands known for their fun hues like Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Jet-Puffed, and Crystal Light. Others that have recently jumped on the bandwagon include giants Conagra Foods and Nestlé USA. The latter is an overachiever, saying its target is months before the official deadline. The latest to join the march toward natural colors? Hershey. OK, chocolate is naturally brown, so no problem there, right? But don't forget Hershey's many other tasty assets. The company's products include Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, and Bubble Yum, all noted for their variety of bright shades. Hershey declined to comment to Allrecipes, but a spokesperson told Bloomberg News, "Removing these colors is a natural next step in our program to ensure consumers have options to fit their lifestyle while maintaining trust and confidence in our products." The company plans to remove the synthetic colors by the end of 2027. A Hershey representative told Food Dive that a 'strong national food ingredient approval system is the best way to ensure food safety, affordability, and quality in the marketplace.' Translation? As states, including Texas and West Virginia, begin to make their own rules for manufacturers, a big, national push will be easier for everyone and will ultimately save the company money. We can't wait to see what Jolly Rancher candies will look like in 2027. Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
The Guardian
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
RFK Jr calls sugar ‘poison' but says government probably can't eliminate it
The US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr on Tuesday called sugar 'poison' and recommended that Americans eat 'zero' added sugar in their food, while acknowledging that the federal government was unlikely to be able to eliminate it from products. Kennedy, however, said that better labeling was needed for foods and that new government guidelines on nutrition would recommend people avoid sugar completely. The health and human services secretary also announced plans to eliminate the last eight government-approved synthetic food dyes from the US food supply within two years. Kennedy said at a press conference on Tuesday: 'Sugar is poison and Americans need to know that it is poisoning us.' He added moments later: 'I don't think that we're going to be able to eliminate sugar, but I think what we need to do, probably, is give Americans knowledge about how much sugar is in their products, and also, with the new nutrition guidelines, we'll give them a very clear idea about how much sugar they should be using, which is zero.' The secretary said the public is under-informed about food. 'Americans don't know what they're eating. We're going to start informing Americans about what they're eating,' he said. Meanwhile, he did not talk about vaccines or vaccinations at the press conference, but it was reported by Politico, citing sources familiar with departmental discussions, that Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, was considering removing the Covid-19 shot from the official federal list of recommended inoculations for children. The outlet quoted an HHS spokesperson as saying a final decision on whether to continue recommending coronavirus vaccines for children had not been made. In the food discussions at the press conference, Kennedy talked about various dyes. Health advocates have called for the removal of artificial and petroleum-based dyes from foods, with some studies suggesting a link to neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children, although a conclusive link is still contested. The Biden administration previously moved to ban Red No 3 food dye, citing cancer risks in animal studies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has consistently maintained that the approved dyes are safe. Following Biden's directive, Red No 3 must be removed from foods by 2027 and from medications by 2028. Kennedy aims to remove the remaining petroleum-based dyes, health officials said. 'American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,' the FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, said. 'These steps that we are taking means that the FDA is effectively removing all petroleum based food dyes from the US food supply.' The move could mark a major step in Kennedy's broader campaign against potentially harmful food additives. But some are still questioning how successful this campaign will be, especially regarding the Trump administration's anti-regulatory stance towards industry giants. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion When asked whether a formal agreement with food industry heads had been made, Kennedy responded: 'I would say we don't have an agreement. We have an understanding.' An enforcement strategy or a clear timeline for the upcoming ban remains unclear, though Makary said that the administration aims to eliminate the dyes 'by the end of next year'. Kennedy questioned during the conference how the US would maintain world leadership 'with such a sick population', going on to refer to 'all these autoimmune diseases' and 'these exotic diseases'. He also expressed concern that the majority of American children cannot qualify for military service with certain conditions. He went on to speak about the apparent rise in several types of diseases and disorders, which he believes could be possibly linked to the use of food dyes or other additives. 'I never knew anybody with a peanut allergy,' he said, referring to when he was a child. 'I never knew anybody with a food allergy. Why do five of my seven kids have allergies?' The FDA has approved 36 food dyes for use in the US, nine of which are artificial and made from petroleum. The others are derived from natural sources, such as vegetables.
The Guardian
18-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Food head at FDA quits citing Trump administration's mass staff cuts
The head of the food division at the US Food and Drug Administration has quit in protest over sweeping staff cuts that he warns will hamper the agency's ability to protect public health. Jim Jones, who joined the agency in September 2023, cited 'indiscriminate' layoffs to 89 staff members, including key technical experts. In his resignation letter to the acting FDA commissioner, Sara Brenner, seen by Bloomberg News, Jones said the cuts would make it 'fruitless' to continue in his role given the Trump administration's 'disdain for the very people' needed to implement food safety reforms. 'I was looking forward to working to pursue the department's agenda of improving the health of Americans by reducing diet-related chronic disease and risks from chemicals in food,' Jones wrote. Some of those recent efforts include the January banning of controversial food dye Red No 3, a bright-red color additive that was found to cause cancer in male lab rats. Specialists in nutrition, infant formula and food-safety response, including 10 staff members responsible for reviewing potentially unsafe food ingredients, were targets of layoffs, according to the letter. The FDA did not respond to a request for comment. The White House defended the staff changes, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling Bloomberg some 'bureaucrats' were resistant to implementing the president's agenda. 'President [Donald] Trump is only interested in the best and most qualified people who are also willing to implement his America First Agenda on behalf of the American people,' Leavitt said in an email. 'It's not for everyone, and that's okay.'
