The Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday a series of measures to phase out eight artificial food dyes and colorings from America’s food supply by the end of next year.
Speaking at a news conference, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agencies will work with food companies to remove dyes from products.
“I just want to urge all of you, it’s not the time to stop; it’s the time to redouble your efforts, because we have them on the run now, and we are going to win this battle,” Kennedy told a crowd of “Make America Healthy Again” supporters during the news conference. “And four years from now, we’re going to have most of these products off the market, or you will know about them when you go to the grocery store.”
At the news conference, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said the agencies are looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with the food industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in cereal, ice cream, snacks, yogurts and more.
“Today, the FDA is taking action to remove petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply and from medications. For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” he told reporters.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration in January started the process to ban one artificial dye, Red No. 3, which will need to be removed from food by January 2027 and from medications by 2028 because it was shown to cause cancer in rats. The FDA said Tuesday it is requesting food companies to speed up the removal of Red. No. 3.
Federal officials are taking steps to pull the authorization for two synthetic food colorings — Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B — within the coming months. In addition, the six other petroleum-based dyes that federal health agencies are seeking to eliminate by the end of next year are Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2.
The FDA is also taking steps to authorize four new natural color additives, officials announced Tuesday.
The plan, however, is contingent on an “understanding” with major food companies that consumers want the artificial dyes out, Kennedy said Tuesday.
HHS and FDA are calling on the food industry to “establish a national standard and timeline … to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives,” according to a press release sent out Tuesday afternoon.
It is not yet clear what enforcement mechanism Kennedy will seek to implement the new changes.
When asked if food companies, which were not present at the news conference, would follow the suggested changes, Kennedy said: “We don’t have an agreement; we have an understanding.”
Makary, the head of the FDA, went on to say that the agency plans to work with the food industry instead of having Congress step in. “We’ve had wonderful meetings with the food industry,” he said. “They are eager to do it.”
But the International Association of Color Manufacturers, the trade association for the color additives industry, which includes both natural and synthetic dyes, issued a statement after the news conference questioning the proposed timeline.
“Requiring reformulation by the end of 2026 ignores scientific evidence and underestimates the complexity of food production. This process is neither simple nor immediate, and the resulting supply disruptions will limit access to familiar, affordable grocery items,” the group said in the statement.
The Consumer Brands Association, however, which represents makers of packaged foods and beverages, indicated its members would work with the administration to take action on food dye priorities, citing the difficulty in adhering to a “patchwork” of differing state laws.
“Consumer Brands has long asked HHS and FDA to reestablish themselves as the country’s leading regulatory authority and we appreciate that the administration has reasserted their leadership in response to the myriad of state activity in the food regulation space,” said CBA President Melissa Hockstad in a statement.
From candy to breakfast cereal to medication, synthetic food dyes are in a wide range of products that Americans consume. Studies suggest their vibrant color makes food more appealing and could even increase appetite.
Makary claimed studies have found a link between petroleum-based synthetic dyes and health conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obesity, diabetes, cancer and gastrointestinal issues.
“Why are we taking a gamble?” he said. “While America’s children are sick and suffering, 41% of children have at least one health condition, and one in five are on medication. The answer is not more Ozempic, more ADHD medication and more antidepressants. There’s a role for those medications, but we have to look at underlying root causes.”
But scientists caution the evidence for health risks are not that clear.
“There are animal studies that show that food dyes have been associated to outcomes such as cancer,” said ABC New Medical Correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton. “But the FDA maintains that these studies have not shown sufficient evidence that that harm could be effected in humans.”
All dyes have the potential to spark allergic reactions for a small minority. Several dyes have been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children or have been shown to cause cancer in mice or rats — but none have shown to cause cancer in humans.
“When you look at the overall evidence it is difficult to see a clear cause and effect, but if there’s no clear benefit when adding something like a food additive other than making food look better, then many argue let’s just simply take it out,” Sutton said.
While the health effects of the dyes are not fully understood, many other countries have either banned the additives outright or required food packaging warning labels about the health risks.
The proposed timeline to phase out synthetic dyes laid out Tuesday comes after Kennedy told food industry leaders at a meeting last month that he wanted their companies to remove artificial dyes from their products by the end of his four-year term, according to a memo describing the meeting, which was obtained by ABC News.
Kennedy’s announcement Tuesday speeds up that process — and alerts companies that Kennedy intends to make good on his warning quickly.
Already, red and blue states alike have taken matters into their own hands in removing artificial food dyes from certain foods. Both West Virginia and California have passed laws to ban a handful of food dyes from school lunches, with plans to extend the ban to a broader, statewide level too.
In West Virginia, the ban on artificial dyes in school lunch will go into effect in August, making it the first state in the country to implement such restraints. In California, it will take effect in 2028.
Twenty-six other states, from Iowa to Washington and from to Texas to Vermont, are considering similar legislation around banning food dyes or other chemical additives in foods, according to a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that focuses on chemicals and toxins.
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