The Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Medicines Administration announced on Tuesday a series of measures to eliminate eight artificial food dyes and food supply in the United States food supply at the end of next year.
Speaking at a press conference, the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, said the agencies seek to revoke the authorization of two synthetic food colorations and eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in cereals, ice cream, snacks, yogurts and more.
“Today, the FDA is taking measures to eliminate oil -based food dyes from the US food supply and medicines. During the last 50 years, American children have been living more and more in a toxic soup of synthetic chemical products,” he told reporters. “The FDA also announces plans today to authorize four additional natural color additives using natural ingredients in the coming weeks, while accelerating the review and approval of other natural ingredients colors.”
Makary’s studies stated that they have found a similar one between oil -based synthetic dyes and health conditions, including attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity, obesity, diabetes, cancer and gastrointestinal problems.
“Why are we betting?” He said. “While the children in the United States are sick and suffering, 41% of children have at least a health condition, and one in five has medications. The answer is no more ozempic, more medications for ADHD and more antidepressants. There is a role for those medications, but we have to consider the underlying root causes.
The HHS secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had to speak at the press conference.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., observes during a press conference on April 7, 2025 at Salt Lake City.
Melissa Majchrzak/AP
The administration of former President Joe Biden in January began the process to ban an artificial dye, Red No. 3, which must be eliminated from food in January 2027 and medicines by 2028 because it was shown that it causes cancer in rats.
Kennedy is now looking to eliminate the other six oil -based dyes approved by the FDA. This includes Green No. 3, Citrus Red No. 2, Red No. 40, Orange B, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2. The agency is also taking measures to revoke the authorization of two synthetic foods of food: Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, in the coming months.
The department also authorizes four new natural color additives.
It is not yet clear what application mechanism, Kennedy will seek to implement the new changes.
The timeline to eliminate synthetic dyes occurs after Kennedy told the leaders of the food industry at a meeting last month that he wanted their companies to eliminate the artificial dyes of their products at the end of their four -year mandate, according to a memorandum that describes the meeting, which was obtained by ABC News.
Kennedy’s announcement on Tuesday accelerates that process, and alerts companies that Kennedy intends to fulfill their warning quickly.
From sweets to breakfast cereal and synthetic food dyes are in a wide range of products consumed by Americans. Studies suggest that their vibrant color makes food more attractive and could even increase appetite.
The effects on the health of dyes are not completely understood, but many other countries have prohibited additives directly or required for food packaging labels on health risks.
All dyes have the potential to cause allergic reactions for a small minority. Several dyes have been related to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children or it has been shown that they cause cancer in mice or rats, but none has shown that none causes cancer in humans.
The red and blue states have already taken matters in their own hands to eliminate artificial food dyes from certain foods. Both West Virginia and California have approved laws to ban a handful of food dyes from school lunches, with plans to extend the ban at a broader state level.
In Western Virginia, the prohibition of artificial dyes in school lunch will enter into force in August, so it is the first state in the country to implement such restrictions. In California, it will enter into force in 2028.
Other twenty -six states, from Iowa to Washington and from Texas to Vermont, are considering similar legislation around the prohibition of food dyes or other chemical additives in food, according to a list compiled by the environmental work group, a defense organization that focuses on chemicals and toxins.
The Environmental Health Dangers Evaluation Office within the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 concluded a two -year study in seven synthetic food dyes that found associations with certain neurochonductual results in some children.
The researchers also found that the current level of the FDA of “acceptable daily intake” for dyes can be too high to protect children from potential behavioral impact, according to the report.
