According to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., eight artificial dyes will be removed from medications and the national food supply by the end of 2026, including those found in candy, ice cream, soft drinks, and jams.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, these artificial dyes, which were discussed at a news conference in Washington, D.C. on April 22, are used to offset colour loss caused by exposure to light and temperature extremes, as well as to add colour to colourless and “fun” foods.
For years, Kennedy has railed against Big Food and Big Pharma, blaming additives and junk food for the country’s “chronic disease epidemic,” including during his presidential campaign in the 2024 Democratic primaries and later as an independent.
After endorsing President Donald Trump, he incorporated those ideas into his own campaign, and they are now part of the new administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative.
The dyes that will be phased out in less than two years include FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, and FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6. According to the HHS, the process of revoking authorisation for Orange B, Citrous Red No. 2, will begin in the coming months.
The FDA will also authorise four new natural colour additives within weeks and collaborate with the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on “how food additives impact children’s health and development,” according to the HHS.
Under the Biden administration, the FDA mandated a ban on Red Dye No. 3, which is found in candy, desserts, and some medications, by January 15, 2027. HHS announced on April 22 that the Trump administration is requesting that food companies move the deadline forward.
Kennedy previously linked food dyes and additives to ADHD and chronic diseases like obesity. At the April 22 press conference, the Trump Cabinet member listed a slew of diseases and neurological disorders and appeared to link them to chemicals used by the food and drug industries.
In March, Kennedy met privately with executives from PepsiCo, General Mills, Tyson Foods, Kraft, Heinz, and Kellogg’s. During that meeting, Kennedy told CBS News that artificial food dyes would “all have to be out within two years.”
On April 22, Kennedy recalled a conversation with his staff following the meeting with food industry leaders, hinting at the CEOs’ initial reluctance to eliminate petroleum-based dyes.
“I said, if they want to add petroleum, they want to eat petroleum,” he told me. “They ought to add it themselves at home, but they should not be feeding it to the rest of us without our knowledge or consent.”
Kennedy Jr. also complained about “shockingly few studies” on the safety of food dyes and other ingredients, citing conflicts of interest at the federal agencies he now oversees.
In 2021, the California Environmental Protection Agency published a study linking the consumption of synthetic food dyes to hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children. Similar studies have previously prompted the European Union to limit food colouring.
“Evidence shows that synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children,” stated Dr. Lauren Zeise, Director of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
“With increasing numbers of U.S. children diagnosed with behavioural disorders, this assessment can inform efforts to protect children from exposures that may exacerbate behavioural problems.”
Last year, California banned six dyes from public school lunches.
The Consumer Brand Association, which represents companies that manufacture food, beverages, and household products, informed its members that it was a “urgent priority” for the Trump administration to remove certain artificial colours from the food supply, and that Kennedy Jr. wanted it done “before he leaves office.”
Vani Hari, a food activist and blogger who has been fighting food companies over ingredients and transparency for over a decade, said Kennedy Jr.’s efforts were a victory for American families.
“I never thought I would see the day when the FDA actually did this,” Hari told USA Today. “I had lost faith in my government leaders, but now it has been restored. “The FDA is no longer sleeping at the wheel.”