RFK Jr. and FDA Tell Food Companies To Phase Out Artificial Dyes

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is trying to eliminate all potentially harmful artificial dyes from the nation’s food supply. With help from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) commissioner, Marty Makary, the nation’s top health official is specifically targeting petroleum-based colorants, which some believe cause various long-term health issues.

Kennedy has been a strong advocate for removing artificial dyes from the food supply, blaming the substances for behavioral problems, like hyperactivity, in children. The FDA’s Makary is asking food companies to remove food colorants made with petroleum and replace them with natural ingredients by the end of 2026.

“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” RFK Jr. said in a press release. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.”

Artificial dyes are common in many American foods, including candy, snack cakes, sodas, and cereals. For decades, manufacturers have been adding the ingredients to make food brighter and more appealing.

The Food Industry Open to Food Dye Regulation

To move his Make America Healthy Again agenda forward, Kennedy recently met with several executives from some of America’s largest food companies to discuss the removal of artificial dyes. Representatives from Kraft Heinz, Tyson Foods, the Consumer Brands Association, and other major food manufacturers participated in the conversation. At the meeting’s conclusion, they seemed open to “meet rigorous, evidence-based safety standards set by federal and state regulators.” 

The National Confectioners Association, a trade group representing many food companies, appears to be in support of government regulation of ingredients at the highest level. According to the organization, the FDA should be the “national regulatory decision maker” and in charge of food safety initiatives.

“Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies, and we will continue to follow and comply with FDA’s guidance and safety standards,” the association wrote, per CNN.

Food safety proponents are looking to food companies to follow through with previous commitments to eliminate artificial ingredients. Food policy researcher Marion Nestle said that “the time has come” for these companies to fulfill their promises of removing petroleum dyes.

Earlier this year, the FDA announced a ban on red dye No. 3. Various studies have purportedly linked petroleum dyes, including blue No. 2 and green No. 3, to cancer in animals. It is suspected that yellow No. 5 causes irritability and sleep disturbances in some children.

In 2023, California took steps to drop the use of red dye No. 3. Under California’s Food Safety Act, artificial colorants are among several food additives prohibited in the state.

According to CBS News, the FDA’s current request to food companies “stops short of the outright ban that had been floated for in Kennedy’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ platform from the campaign trail. Instead, it relies on what the Department of Health and Human Services said was a ‘national standard and timeline for the industry’ to voluntarily make the switch.”