RFK Jr. announces a plan to ban certain food dyes, following California's lead

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the caput of Health and Human Services, connected Tuesday announced a program to prohibition synthetic nutrient dyes that colour mundane snack items specified arsenic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and M&Ms.

The archetypal measurement successful the plan is for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revoke authorization of citrus reddish No. 2 and orangish B.

After that, the Department of Health and Human Services said, it volition enactment with manufacture to destruct six petroleum-based nutrient dyes: bluish 1, bluish 2, greenish 3, reddish 40, yellowish 5 and yellowish 6.

California passed a instrumentality banning those six dyes past year, citing developmental and behavioral harms successful children. The authorities instrumentality is acceptable to spell into effect the extremity of 2027.

The FDA is alternatively encouraging the usage of alleged earthy nutrient dyes specified arsenic gardenia bluish and calcium phosphate. “Red dye? Try watermelon foodstuff oregon beet juice,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said astatine the media event, holding up a jar of crimson liquid.

The announcement Tuesday is meant to spur the nutrient dye manufacture to cooperate successful eliminating those dyes by the extremity of adjacent year, according to the department.

“Let’s commencement successful a affable mode and spot if we tin bash this without immoderate statutory oregon regulatory changes,” Makary said. “They privation to bash it.”

Makary noted astatine the lawsuit that helium worked with authorities officials successful California to make these projected national changes.

Food dyes person been nether scrutiny for years, arsenic user advocator groups person said they incorporate additives harmful to humans. In January, the FDA banned reddish dye no. 3 — utilized successful specified communal items arsenic fruit-cocktail cherries and Nesquik’s strawberry beverage — aft immoderate studies showed that the additive raised the hazard of crab successful immoderate laboratory animals.

In keeping with Kennedy’s ngo to destruct synthetic nutrient dyes arsenic soon arsenic possible, the section announcement besides calls for nutrient companies to get escaped of reddish no. 3 successful their products sooner than the antecedently agreed-upon deadline. (California banned the usage of reddish 3 successful 2023; that instrumentality is besides acceptable to spell into effect successful 2027.)

Kennedy has blamed nutrient additives for myriad wellness issues. His supporters heralded the announcement Tuesday arsenic a large measurement successful the secretary’s question to “Make America Healthy Again.” A Gallup poll past twelvemonth recovered that 28% of respondents did not person overmuch assurance successful the national government’s quality to guarantee the nutrient proviso is safe. An further 14% had nary assurance astatine all.

“Industry is making wealth to support america sick,” Kennedy said astatine the announcement.