The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a milestone step toward reducing artificial additives in the American food supply, a move that could reshape everything from cereal bowls to candy aisles. The agency is rolling out sweeping measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This initiative is part of Kennedy Jr.’s broader “Make America Healthy Again” campaign and includes revoking authorization for certain artificial dyes while working with the food industry to voluntarily remove others. The decision comes amid growing concerns about potential links between synthetic dye consumption and health conditions such as ADHD, obesity, and diabetes, as discussed during a joint press conference.
“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,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary at the event.
As part of the plan, the FDA will “revoke authorization” for two synthetic food dyes, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, within the coming months. The agency also plans to work with the food industry to phase out six more widely used dyes: FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2, by the end of next year.
“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development. That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust. And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day,” Kennedy Jr. said in a news release.
Meanwhile, the agency also announced plans to authorize four new natural color additives in the coming weeks, while fast-tracking the review and approval of additional natural alternatives. It will also be partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch comprehensive research into how food additives affect children’s health and development.
