Kennedy, FDA Announce Sweeping Ban on Artificial Food Dyes: “American Children Have Been Living in a Toxic Soup”

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – In a landmark move to address public health concerns, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Mary Makary announced Tuesday that the federal government will begin phasing out artificial, petroleum-based food dyes commonly used in everyday consumer products.

“Today, the FDA is taking action to remove petroleum-based food dyes,” Dr. Makary declared as she opened the press conference.

“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals. The scientific community has conducted a number of studies raising concerns about the correlation between petroleum-based synthetic dyes and several health conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, genomic disruption, and GI issues.”

Makary outlined a series of FDA initiatives aimed at eliminating these synthetic additives from foods, including breakfast cereals, candy, snacks, and beverages. Emphasizing the importance of parental insights in pediatric care, she added, “As I know from my experience [in] taking care of children as a doctor, you have to always listen to the mom.”

Taking the stage next, Kennedy praised food manufacturers who are proactively cooperating with the new initiative, known as the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement. He also delivered a sharp rebuke to companies still using synthetic dyes.

“When I went in a few months ago to meet with food companies, I was talking with my staff about this and I said, if they want to eat petroleum, they ought to eat it themselves at home and they shouldn’t be feeding it to the rest of us,” Kennedy said.

According to Kennedy, most products containing petroleum-based dyes will be removed from store shelves within four years. He also unveiled plans to help consumers easily identify compliant products through both labeling initiatives and digital tools.

“We’re looking at labeling. We have to go to Congress for that — but one of the things that we’re going to do is post all the information we have about every additive on an open-source website,” Kennedy explained. “And we’re going to encourage companies to develop apps in the private marketplace where mothers can go in and scan a barcode of every product in their grocery store and know what’s in them and what’s not.”

The FDA’s crackdown comes amid growing concern over the neurological and behavioral effects of synthetic dyes in children. Currently, nine petroleum-based dyes are still legally permitted in U.S. food products. However, earlier this year, the FDA banned Red No. 3 from being used in foods, drinks, and ingested medications — a move many advocates hailed as a long-overdue first step.

With the new phase-out plan, both agencies signaled a strong commitment to replacing harmful additives with safer alternatives, while arming American families with tools to make healthier food choices.

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