Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told food industry leaders in a closed-door meeting on Monday that he wants them to remove synthetic color additives from their products by the end of his time in office, according to a Consumer Brands Assn. memo obtained by ABC News and Bloomberg.
"The Secretary made clear his intention to take action unless the industry is willing to be proactive with solutions," Melissa Hockstad, president/CEO of Consumer Brands, wrote in the memo.
“Kennedy expects ‘real and transformative’ change by ‘getting the worst ingredients out’ of food,” according to Bloomberg's reading of the Consumer Brands memo.
@SecKennedy posted on social media site X: “Great discussion today with @ConsumerBrands [and] CEOs of @KraftHeinzCo, @GeneralMills, @TysonFoods, @KelloggsUS (W.K. Kellogg Co), @smuckers and @PepsiCo on advancing food safety and radical transparency to protect the health of all Americans, especially our children. We will strengthen consumer trust by getting toxins out of our food. Let’s Make America Healthy Again.”
Beneath the message was a photo of the eight smiling attendees, with the HHS secretary in the middle.
Looking to replace questionable food dyes? We have a story with suggestions right here.
One can only suspect the CEOs were not as motivated to Tweet their excitement at meeting the new HHS secretary. But the calls for removal of synthetic color additives extend far beyond RFK Jr.
No specific color additives were mentioned in any of the reports we saw, although the FDA already has banned Red 3 effective Jan. 15, 2027. California and other states are also eyeing Red 40, Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6 and Green 3.
Most large and international food companies already have reformulated their products without dyes for other countries, especially in Europe, but have resisted changes in the U.S.
"We will be working with your teams to gain as much alignment as possible about how we move forward and ensure the industry is positioned in the best possible way as we navigate next steps forward," said Hockstad’s memo, according to ABC News. "But to underscore, decision time is imminent."
Consumer Brands Assn. also posted a one-paragraph mention on its website, attributed to Hockstad: "Industry leaders met with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to discuss his Make America Healthy Again agenda and working together to maintain consumer access to safe, affordable and convenient product choices. It was a constructive conversation and we look forward to continued engagement with the secretary and the qualified experts within HHS to support public health, build consumer trust and promote consumer choice."
