RFK Jr. plans to phase out artificial dyes from the US food supply

By JONEL ALECCIA and MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press WASHINGTON AP U S medical executives on Tuesday explained they would phase out petroleum-based artificial colors in the nation s food supply potentially triggering an ingredients overhaul for scores of brightly hued products on American store shelves The federal Food and Drug Administration will take approaches to eliminate the synthetic dyes by the end of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced at a news conference The agency will establish a standard and timeline for industry to switch to natural alternatives revoke authorization for dyes not in production within coming weeks and take efforts to remove remaining dyes on the sector Makary mentioned that removing artificial dyes would boost children s strength For the last years we have been running one of the largest uncontrolled scientific experiments in the world on our nation s children without their consent Makary revealed Related Articles Federal judge extends order restricting Trump s use of Alien Enemies Act in Colorado US Treasury secretary says deal war with China is not sustainable Rubio unveils a massive overhaul of the State Department with a reduction of staff and bureaus Hegseth pulled airstrike info from secure military channel for Signal posts NBC News reports Colorado fights Trump administration bid to help imprisoned loyalist Tina Peters Physical condition advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems including hyperactivity and attention issues in particular children The FDA has maintained that the approved dyes are safe and that the totality of scientific evidence shows that the majority children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives The FDA right now allows food color additives including eight synthetic dyes In January the agency disclosed that the dye known as Red used in candies cakes and several medications would be banned in food by because it caused cancer in laboratory rats Artificial dyes are used widely in U S foods In Canada and in Europe where artificial colors are required to carry warning labels manufacturers mostly use natural substitutes Several states including California and West Virginia have passed laws restricting the use of artificial colors in foods The announcement drew praise from advocates who say the dyes carry soundness risks and serve no purpose beyond the cosmetic Their only purpose is to make food companies money declared Dr Peter Lurie president of the Center for Science in the Citizens Interest and a former FDA official Food dyes help make ultraprocessed foods more attractive especially to children often by masking the absence of a colorful ingredient like fruit Removing artificial dyes from foods has long been a goal of so-called MAHA moms key supporters of Healthcare Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and his Make America Healthy Again initiatives They were among protesters who signed petitions and rallied outside the Michigan headquarters of WK Kellogg Co last year demanding that the company remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the U S The group included Vani Hari a popular food activist known as the Food Babe who previously pressured the Kraft Heinz company to remove artificial dyes from its macaroni and cheese Hari spoke at Tuesday s event She noted the action marks a new era in safe food for children However food manufacturers commented the action would unfairly target highly regulated color additives long proven to be safe There are not enough alternatives available to replace these products the International Association of Color Manufacturers mentioned in a comment Supply chains will take an estimated five to years to catch up and require importing more expensive ingredients grown in China India and Mexico A spokesperson for the National Confectioners Association a bargain group for makers of candy gum and mints commented the industry requirements time to find safe and viable alternatives Removing dyes from the food supply will not address the chief physical condition problems that plague Americans reported Susan Mayne a Yale University chronic illness expert and former director of the FDA s food center With every one of their announcements they re focusing in on something that s not going to accomplish what they say it is Mayne announced of Kennedy s initiatives The greater part of these food dyes have been in our food supply for years So why aren t they driving toward reductions in things that do drive chronic complaint rates In the past FDA functionaries explained the threat of legal action from the food industry required the leadership to have major scientific evidence before banning additives Red was banned from cosmetics more than three decades before it was stripped from food and medicine It took five decades for the FDA to ban brominated vegetable oil because of strength concerns But Lurie revealed industry executives might not challenge the Trump administration They don t want to get on the wrong side of a vindictive president he stated Hours before the announcement the International Dairy Foods Association revealed its members would voluntarily eliminate artificial colors in milk cheese and yogurt products sold to U S school meal programs by July The majority dairy products for schools don t contain artificial colors as preponderance dairy processors have chosen not to use them or have already removed or replaced them bureaucrats at the dairy pact group noted Chosen of the state laws banning synthetic dyes in school meals have aggressive timelines West Virginia s ban for example prohibits red yellow blue and green artificial dyes in school meals starting Aug A broader ban will extend the restrictions to all foods sold in the state on Jan Countless U S food companies are already reformulating their foods according to Sensient Colors one of the world s largest producers of food dyes and flavorings In place of synthetic dyes food makers can use natural hues made from beets algae and crushed insects and pigments from purple sweet potatoes radishes and red cabbage Aleccia broadcasted from California The Associated Press Vitality and Science Department receives advocacy from the Howard Hughes Curative Institute s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content