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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is slated to announce an intent to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes in a bid to ramp up pressure on an industry he has often derided.
Kennedy, who serves as the nation's top health official, is set to make the announcement Tuesday afternoon, along with Marty Makary, the newly confirmed head of the Food and Drug Administration, according to a media advisory from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The details of the announcement were not immediately clear, but Kennedy has claimed that food makers have been allowed to "mass poison" American children. He has frequently blasted controversial food dyes that can be found in candy, cereals, drinks and snacks, and he has made cracking down on color additives a top target of his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative to root out chronic disease and childhood illness.
"It's encouraging to see the FDA working towards a ban on synthetic food dyes, but it's clear that phasing them out will involve a multistep process that will take a long time to accomplish," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, adding that states should continue to pass their own bills aimed at removing dyes from the food supply.
Those efforts have won the backing of some nutrition experts and consumer advocates even as they have expressed alarm over Kennedy's purge of the federal health workforce and his response to a measles outbreak. But some believe Kennedy is missing an opportunity to focus on curbing some of the major drivers of chronic diseases, such as tobacco and alcohol use.
"Food dyes are an important cause of morbidity, but I don't think they are, by a long shot, the largest causes of chronic disease in this country," said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit that has warned about the drawbacks of food dyes and opposed Kennedy's nomination to lead HHS. Lurie was a top FDA official in the Obama administration.
Last month, Kennedy met with prominent food executives, including officials from Tyson Foods, General Mills, Kraft Heinz and the Consumer Brands Association, a food industry trade group. During the meeting, he expressed a "strong desire" to remove synthetic color additives from the food supply - "and he wants this done before he leaves office," Melissa Hockstad, chief executive of the Consumer Brands Association, wrote in a message to industry leaders.
"Safety is the number one priority for the makers of America's trusted household brands and companies meet rigorous, evidence-based safety standards set by federal and state regulators," the trade group wrote in a memo earlier this month.
Ahead of Kennedy's Tuesday news conference, the International Dairy Foods Association announced a voluntary commitment to eliminate the use of certified artificial colors in milk, cheese and yogurts sold in the national school lunch and breakfast programs by July 2026.
HHS did not answer detailed questions about the announcement.
Some consumer advocacy groups have said there is enough evidence to show that food dyes may cause some harm to children, arguing that some studies have connected artificial dyes to negative behavioral problems. They have pointed to a 2021 review of seven food dyes - such as red dye No. 3, red dye No. 40 and yellow dye No. 5 - performed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The review concluded that the consumption of some food dyes can result in hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children, though sensitivity varies.
The FDA has said the agency will continue to examine potential effects of color additives on children's behavior. The "totality of scientific evidence" indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming the dyes, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them, it said.
The evidence is "complicated," said Marion Nestle, an emeritus professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. She pointed to the California report as likely the "strongest review that's available."
"The FDA for years has said these things are safe at the amounts currently consumed. Other people say no," Nestle said. "These dyes are unnecessary. If there's any question at all about whether they might be harmful, let's get rid of them."
The FDA has faced pressure to crack down on some food dyes from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and food safety advocates have said it takes far too long for the agency to reassess chemicals prevalent on store shelves.
The agency made a move to get rid of one such dye earlier this year. In the waning days of the Biden administration, the FDA banned red dye No. 3, a controversial bright red dye used in drinks and snacks that has been linked to cancer in animals. The agency maintained there was no evidence that ingesting the coloring causes cancer in humans but said its decision was based on a federal law prohibiting additives found to cause cancer in humans or animals at any dose.
The issue has also been percolating at the state level, prompting some prominent manufacturers to already begin to remove dyes from popular items.
In 2023, California passed a law prohibiting food from being sold in the state if it contains red dye No. 3, brominated vegetable oil and other additives. The issue has gained traction in state legislatures across the country this year, such as in West Virginia, where the Republican governor signed sweeping legislation last month banning foods containing seven dyes from being served in school nutrition programs this August and from being sold in the state starting in 2028.
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