The health secretary announced a push to eliminate petroleum-based colorants from the food supply. But he’ll need to get food companies on board.
The Trump administration announced its intention to phase out synthetic dyes used to enhance color in common foods like candy and cereals.
At a press conference Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his agency is making the move as a first step to improve the nation’s food supply and address chronic disease.
«We are going to get rid of the dyes and then one by one, we’re going to get rid of every ingredient and additive in food that we can legally address», he said.
The Food and Drug Administration will take several actions aimed at phasing out synthetic dyes. FDA commissioner Marty Makary announced that the agency will work with the industry to voluntarily eliminate six commonly used dyes by the end of next year. It will also start the process of banning two other colorants, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B; and it’s asking food companies to speed up the timeline for removing the previously banned colorant Red No. 3.
«For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals», said Makary, citing studies that have linked synthetic dyes with ADHD and other health conditions. «Taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America’s children healthy, but it is one important step», he said.
There’s no mandate for the food industry to comply with the phase-out of the six synthetic colorants, but Kennedy said «the industry has voluntarily agreed.» He said that a number of states have passed laws banning some food ingredients, and food companies have told him they want national leadership in this area.
