RFK Jr.'s phase-out of artificial food dyes could face industry pushback

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a timeline for his plans to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic food dyes that color many common foods in the nation's food supply. During a highly publicized press conference surrounded by officials from the Food and Drug Administration and his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) mom supporters, Kennedy asserted that he had reached an "understanding" with major food manufacturers to remove the dyes by 2026. But it's not clear if and when companies will comply.

Kennedy ramps up his war on sugar

Four years from now, "we are going to have most of these products off the market, or you will know about them when you go to the grocery store," Kennedy said. His push to get food manufacturers to remove artificial dyes is his "first effort at sweeping reform of the food industry," which he has "long blamed for creating and marketing ultra-processed foods that he says are making Americans obese and contributing to a host of diseases," including diabetes and heart disease, said The New York Times. "Sugar is poison," Kennedy said, and "Americans need to know that it's poison."

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stated that the agency has several actions planned to phase out the use of synthetic dyes. It will work with companies to voluntarily eliminate six commonly used dyes by the end of next year: 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.

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The agency is also asking food companies to expedite the process of eliminating the previously banned Red dye No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously set. Additionally, the FDA intends to partner with the National Institutes of Health to conduct comprehensive research on the impact of food additives on children's health and development. "For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals," said Makary, referring to studies that have linked synthetic dyes with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other health conditions. Removing petroleum-based food dye is "not a silver bullet that will instantly make America's children healthy, but it is one important step."

Companies have 'made promises like this before'

While Kennedy made statements about the "understanding" with food companies, no industry officials were present at the press conference to substantiate those claims. Industry officials told The Associated Press that no formal agreement exists. However, some companies have taken steps that suggest they plan to comply. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta stated that most of the company's products are already free of artificial dyes, and that its Lay's and Tostitos brands will phase out the use of these dyes by the end of this year. General Mills' representatives said the company is "committed to continuing the conversation" with the administration. WK Kellogg Co. officials said the company is reformulating cereals used in the nation's school lunch programs to eliminate the dyes.

The change will not happen overnight, even if companies do comply. It could take three to four years to build up the supply of botanical products needed for an industrywide shift toward natural dyes, the team at Sensient Technologies Corporation, one of the world's largest dyemakers, said. It is not as if there are "150 million pounds of beet juice sitting around waiting on the off chance the whole market may convert," Paul Manning, the company's chief executive, said to the AP. Tens of millions of pounds of the products "need to be grown, pulled out of the ground, extracted."

Some synthetic dye critics were hoping for an outright ban, not a voluntary agreement from food manufacturers. Food companies have "made promises like this before," said Thomas Galligan, principal scientist at watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest, to NPR. They have claimed they would eliminate dyes or other additives within a specific timeframe and then "consistently reneged on those promises."