The Trump administration is set to unveil a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply, ramping up pressure on food companies, according to a media advisory sent by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary will provide additional details Tuesday, the agency said.
Kennedy has made removing artificial dyes from food a key priority from the day President Trump tapped him for the role.
He recently traveled to West Virginia to promote the state banning certain food dyes from school lunches, including those that are approved by the FDA, like yellow No. 5 and No. 6, and red No. 40.
In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of red dye No. 3 in food, beverages and ingested drugs, decades after evidence showed a link between the dye and cancer in laboratory animals.
Petroleum-based dyes are used to make food and drinks brightly colored and more appealing to consumers.
The FDA website says approved artificial food additives are safe.
“The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the agency said, noting it will “continue to evaluate emerging science to ensure the safety of color additives approved for use.”
