Latest news with #Vittert
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Think groceries are already too expensive? Wait until RFK Jr.'s food-dye ban hits, experts say.
Are you ready to fork over even more money for some of your favorite food products? That could be the result of the newly announced Food and Drug Administration ban on the use of several petroleum-based synthetic dyes, according to food-industry professionals and others. The dyes are found in countless items on supermarket shelves, from Flamin' Hot Cheetos PEP to Froot Loops cereal KLG. Replacing them with natural dyes could add as much as 10% to manufacturing costs, experts told MarketWatch. 'I survived a head-on car wreck': I'm on Medicaid, but inheriting $290K. How do I protect it from the 5-year look-back rule? 'An argument ensued': My mother entrusted my inheritance to her second husband. It all went horribly wrong. S&P 500's rapid exit from correction territory hinged on Trump's walk-backs of tariffs and Fed fight 'She's kept him afloat': I'm 78 and leaving my daughter, 41, my life savings, but her partner is a mooch. How can I protect her? A cruel summer looms, but here's why JPMorgan still expects a higher S&P 500 finish this year Consumers will likely be the ones to pay that extra amount, experts add. And it's an increase that could come after the inflationary hikes in recent years: Food costs rose 23.6% from 2020 to 2024, according to U.S. government data. 'It's a double whammy,' said Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist and founder of Mendocino Food Consulting. In terms of the raw dollars, the extra costs could really add up. In a column for The Hill website, data scientist Liberty Vittert said American households might be looking at as much as a $5,000 to $9,000 hit — though Vittert based those calculations on far more than a 10% hike, claiming it was possible. Vittert also made the point that Americans may pay a price in other ways, noting that costs related to the switch in food coloring will rise for school-lunch programs, which are taxpayer-funded. 'I am very afraid of the unintended consequences and potentially devastating effects that these food-dye bans will have on the pocketbooks of Americans who, frankly, cannot afford it,' Vittert wrote. FDA officials and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have emphasized that the phased-out banning of synthetic dyes — which include Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, and Blue No. 2 — is necessary for our health and safety. 'These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children's health and development,' Kennedy said in a statement. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary also noted that requiring the use of natural dyes in place of artificial ones is already standard in Europe and Canada. As it is, three U.S. states — California, Virginia and West Virginia — have already passed measures banning some synthetic dyes, and many others are considering similar legislation. Natural dyes are pricier to use for a variety of reasons, experts explain. Begin with this: Food-product formulations can require a far greater quantity of a natural dye versus a synthetic one to achieve the same coloring effect. Then, add in the fact that products made with natural dyes tend to be less shelf-stable, which can mean more frequent production runs. Natural dyes also require refrigeration, which is not the case with their synthetic counterparts, according to James Herrmann, marketing director for Sensient Colors, a division of food-technology company Sensient Technologies. In turn, that could mean added transportation and storage costs. 'All of this has to be figured out,' said Herrmann of the broader financial challenges of switching from synthetic to natural dyes. Yet another wrinkle for food manufacturers is that they will all be clamoring to purchase a high volume of natural dyes from suppliers at once as a result of the switch, experts say. That won't exactly make for a favorable pricing situation from a supply-and-demand perspective. Nevertheless, some organizations that monitor food safety applaud the decision to ban synthetic dyes. 'The dyes serve no purpose beyond making ultraprocessed food brighter and more appealing. And they're linked to serious health harms, including neurobehavioral problems in children,' said the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in a statement. Moreover, Melanie Benesh, the EWG's vice president for government affairs, said dye costs aren't a major factor in food pricing. 'The cost of a product's ingredients is a tiny part of what you pay when you buy it at the store,' she said. 'Labor, energy, marketing and transportation are the real drivers of food prices — not swapping out toxic food dyes for safer alternatives.' MarketWatch reached out to several major food manufacturers regarding the government-mandated ban on the synthetic dyes. Of those who responded, none addressed the cost issue, but they did say they were working to meet the government's goals. 'We recently met with Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy and had a very constructive conversation,' cereal maker WK Kellogg said in a statement. 'We understand the agency's priority for more simple foods, and we are pleased to share that we are already taking action in this area.' A spokesperson for General Mills GIS said: 'The vast majority of General Mills's products are already free from certified colors. As a leader in food, we strongly support a national, industrywide standard, and we're committed to continuing the conversation with the administration.' Experts acknowledge that many consumers do want foods free of artificial dyes. But they also want foods that look attractive — we eat with our eyes first, we often hear — so you can't ignore the role that color plays. The question is: Will consumers pay more for the natural alternative? Renee Leber, a food scientist with the Institute of Food Technologists, thinks lines may be drawn when it comes to value-priced brands and products, since consumers are looking to them to save money. If those items become more expensive, they may lose that 'value' halo and be less appealing, she explained. Which means some products may disappear from store shelves altogether, according to Leber, because the math no longer makes sense for manufacturers to produce them — that is, they'll cost more to make, but consumers won't pay the price difference. Or manufacturers may find ways to cut costs, Leber noted. For example, they could be less exacting when it comes to aspects of how their products appear beyond color. Think about your morning bowl of cereal, she said: 'You can have more broken pieces' in it. 'I'm literally afraid to look at my balance': I have $300K in a 2025 target-date fund. Is there a chance it will recover? 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Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From autism to Primetime TV Host: Vittert announces 'Born Lucky'
In new book 'Born Lucky' NewsNation's Leland Vittert reveals how growing up with autism effected his life. He shares how his father rearranged their family's life to develop Leland's skills and help him learn how to adapt to the world around him. Vittert said he wrote the book to give kids diagnosed with autism and their families hope.'I've never told anyone about this, but it's time to say thank you to my dad,' Vittert said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NewsNation's Leland Vittert blasts House GOP ‘bullies' on rhetoric toward transgender member
NewsNation host Leland Vittert admonished a handful of Republican members of Congress over a spate of rhetoric coming from the party toward a transgender member of the House. 'Republicans risk turning their No. 1 political issue into a political liability,' Vittert said on his prime-time program this week. Vittert argued the GOP is going from 'the moral high ground, which is no boys in girls sports' to 'schoolyard bullying.' The host called out Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) for an incident earlier this week during a hearing in which Self referred to Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender member of Congress, as 'Mr. McBride.' Vittert also defended McBride from attacks she has faced on social media from other Republicans, like Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Mary Miller (Ill.). All of those representatives are members of what Vittert called 'the Republican mean girls caucus.' 'It's mean, it's petty, but beyond that, it is politically really stupid. Forget being beneath the office. It's beneath human decency,' the host said. Vittert noted he has advocated on his program for issues like 'no boys and girls sports, no boys in girls bathrooms.' 'Absolute parental rights in schools,' he added, calling those positions 'common sense.' 'If you're not harming anybody else, you be you, and we will respect your right to do it. If Republicans aren't going to be nice, perhaps they can at least be smart,' he said. 'Republican stance on no boys and girls sports, huge winner, but they will turn it into a huge loser with cruelty. Here's another great thing about America: America doesn't like a bully, and it usually ends poorly for the bully.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
14-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
NewsNation's Leland Vittert blasts House GOP ‘bullies' on rhetoric toward transgender member
NewsNation host Leland Vittert admonished a handful of Republican members of Congress over a spate of rhetoric coming from the party toward a transgender member of the House. 'Republicans risk turning their number one political issue into a political liability,' Vittert said on his prime-time program this week. Vittert argued the GOP is going from 'the moral high ground, which is no boys in girls sports' to 'schoolyard bullying.' The host called out Rep. Keith Self, (R-Texas) for an incident earlier this week during a hearing in which Self referred to Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender member of Congress, as 'Mr. McBride.' Vittert also defended McBride from attacks she has faced on social media from other Republicans like Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Mary Miller (Ill.). All of those representatives are members of what Vittert called 'the Republican mean girls caucus.' 'It's mean, it's petty, but beyond that, it is politically really stupid. Forget being beneath the office. It's beneath human decency,' the host said. Vittert noted that he has advocated on his program for issues like 'no boys and girls sports, no boys in girls bathrooms.' 'Absolute parental rights in schools,' he added, calling those positions 'common sense.' 'If you're not harming anybody else, you be you, and we will respect your right to do it. If Republicans aren't going to be nice, perhaps they can at least be smart,' he said. 'Republican stance on no boys and girls sports, huge winner, but they will turn it into a huge loser with cruelty. Here's another great thing about America: America doesn't like a bully, and it usually ends poorly for the bully.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bullying trans adults is not the way to go for GOP: Vittert
NewsNation's Leland Vittert says Republicans could turn their number one political issue into their biggest of just talking about transgender athletes in females sports, he said on Wednesday's 'On Balance,' Republicans are now taking on 'trans adults minding their own business.'He criticized Republican Representatives Keith Self, Nancy Mace and Mary Miller, who have all misgendered the first openly transgender member of Congress, Delaware Democrat Rep. Sarah McBride. Vittert calls them 'the mean girls' caucus.''It's mean, it's petty — but beyond that it is politically really stupid,' Vittert said. 'Forget being beneath the office. It's beneath human decency.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
