Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly told major food companies, including PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz, to remove all artificial food dyes from their products.
Kennedy called the move a “strong desire and urgent priority” of the new Trump administration at a Monday meeting with executives, per The New York Times.
The newly confirmed health official said that the companies should expect many changes as the Department of Health and Human Services works to get “the worst ingredients out” of our food, according to a email from the Consumer Brands Association about the meeting.
Kennedy also “made clear his intention to take action unless the industry is willing to be proactive with solutions,” according to the organization.
Part 1 of the RFK Jr Series: Yellow Dye #5 in U.S. Food Supply
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. analyzes the FDA’s approval of Yellow Dye #5 (Tartrazine) and its prevalence in American snack brands. Documented studies link this additive to hyperactivity in children, migraines, and immune… pic.twitter.com/hDrVeeXiM2— AnsweringSkeptics (@AnswerSkeptics) January 28, 2025
Kennedy, along with the Food and Drug Administration, will work with the companies on a federal regulatory framework for food dyes, per Reuters.
The Consumer Brands Association added in the email that Kennedy wants to “avoid state patchworks” of laws on food dyes.
Such a system could create confusion as states allow the substances to varying extents.
Should cheap, toxic ingredients be banned from the food supply?
Kennedy meanwhile “expects ‘real and transformative’ change,” according to the email.
A representative for PepsiCo said, the company is “providing consumers with convenient, affordable and safe foods and drinks — including more options with natural ingredients, no synthetic colors and reductions in sugar, fat, and sodium,” per Reuters.
Also on Monday, Kennedy told the FDA to consider ways in which federal rulemaking could remove unhealthy ingredients from food, according to a release from the Department of Health and Human Services.
There is currently a “Substances Generally Recognized as Safe” system under which the “industry can self-affirm that the use of a substance is GRAS without notifying the FDA.”
But ending the self-affirmation process would “require companies seeking to introduce new ingredients in foods to publicly notify the FDA of their intended use of such ingredients, along with underlying safety data, before they are introduced in the food supply.”
“For far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced into the U.S. food supply without notification to the FDA or the public,” Kennedy said.
“Eliminating this loophole will provide transparency to consumers, help get our nation’s food supply back on track by ensuring that ingredients being introduced into foods are safe, and ultimately Make America Healthy Again.”
Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services will also work with Congress to “explore ways legislation can completely close the GRAS loophole.”
The agency called revising federal rules and passing legislation “crucial steps necessary to Make America Healthy Again.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
