HHS and FDA To Announce Ban on 8 Petroleum-Based Food Dyes
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the Health and Human Services Dept., and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary on Tuesday (April 22) will announce the FDA's intent to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the nation’s food supply.
Today’s HHS announcement mentioned eight dyes are in the crosshairs but did not specify what they are. The seven most likely, most often mentioned, candidates are Red 3 & 40, Blue 1 & 2, Yellow 5 & 6 and Green 3; all have been linked with cancer or tumors in animals or suspected in hyperactivity in children. None of the many media stories we read listed the eight.
Titanium dioxide has been banned by some states, so that could be the eighth, although it’s not derived from petroleum.
Red 3 already is earmarked for a federal ban beginning on Jan. 15, 2027, and the FDA under President Joe Biden said others were being considered. Several states have passed bans with effective dates in 2027, with those seven color additives on nearly every list; some state laws include other food additives.
Need help finding replacements for those color additives? See "Here are Replacements for Banned Color Additives."
The press conference is scheduled for 4pm ET. We’ll carry a news story as soon as the event ends.
The HHS announcement called the meeting “a major step forward in the Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again,” the platform adopted by HHS Secretary Kennedy.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.