Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration are planning to order manufacturers to reduce potentially harmful artificial dyes used in hundreds of food products, federal officials said Monday.
Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration will announce phase-out of petroleum-based synthetic dyes on Tuesday. The agency said.
The FDA came after a commonly used dye known as Red 3 was banned from the country’s food supply under the Biden administration as the FDA discovered it caused cancer in the laboratory rat. The ban is expected to begin in 2027.
Kennedy praised the ban around the time it was announced, pledging zero to eight additional food dyes still allowed in colorful cereals, drinks and candies.
“I was called a conspiracy theorist because I said the red dye caused cancer,” Kennedy, 71, said at a confirmation hearing. “The FDA now allows it and bans it.”
Kennedy also told the top executives of a large food manufacturer in March that he would focus on removing artificial dyes from food, the New York Times reported last month.
Some studies have shown that artificial colours may be associated with behavioral problems in some children, such as hyperactivity and impulsivity, particularly in children at risk for attention deficit disorder.
Food dyes in chopping blocks are widely used in the US, but other countries such as the European Union and Australia and Japan have banned or restricted the use of certain food dyes, citing health concerns.
State from Ruby-Red West Virginia to liberal California also took action against artificial food dyes with the mountain nation, which has banned seven dyes last month.
No changes have occurred without pushback.
The National Confectionery Association, which represents candy and gum sellers, has argued that new rules will raise prices for grocery while slugging choices in supermarkets.
The vice president of food safety and quality assurance at Sysco Corp., the world’s largest food service distributor, argued that it should be supported by science and “applied consistently to all regions.”
“When it comes to food safety, we should not take a fragmented approach to breeding a lack of trust and confidence in consumers,” Charles Leftwich told the Associated Press in March.
With post wire
