Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) who aims to combat chronic diseases by reforming the nation’s food system, recently told food manufacturers that the Trump Administration intends to eliminate artificial colors from food products.
This announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent ban on Red Dye No. 3 in food and medications taken orally, a decision made before Kennedy assumed his new position. Consumer advocates and some health experts have voiced concerns about other dyes, and a number of states, at least a dozen, are considering legislation to restrict the use of certain dyes.
Artificial food dyes, used to color food and beverage products, have sparked considerable debate among researchers and experts regarding their safety for human consumption. Here’s a summary of what you should know about this issue.
Why was Red 3 banned by the FDA?
The FDA initially prohibited the use of Red 3 in cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990, based on research indicating that the dye caused cancer in male rats. Federal regulations mandate that the agency prohibit food additives found to cause cancer in animals or humans, leading consumer and health advocates to urge the FDA to also ban Red 3 in foods. However, the agency only took this action recently in January.
In its announcement, the FDA stated that the mechanism by which Red 3 causes cancer in male rats “does not occur in humans,” adding that “studies in other animals and in humans did not show these effects.”
What common foods contain artificial food dyes?
Other artificial dyes—such as Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3—are approved by the FDA for use in foods and are present in many common food items. On Monday, Kennedy spoke with executives from companies such as PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz, both of which market products containing artificial dyes. contains Yellow 5 and Blue 1, while includes Yellow 5 and 6. PepsiCo owns , which contains Yellow 5 and 6, as well as Red 40.
Are artificial food dyes considered healthy for human consumption?
Some research suggests that certain artificial food dyes may contribute to behavioral issues in some children, but the FDA has not found a definitive “causal link” between the two (though the agency did recommend further research).
Jerold Mande, a former FDA senior adviser and former deputy undersecretary for food safety at the Department of Agriculture, says a definitive answer on the safety of these dyes requires more research into their effects on human health. “There’s different degrees of evidence showing harm,” Mande says.
During his confirmation hearings to lead HHS, Kennedy indicated his support for increased research into food additives at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the FDA. However, on Feb. 7, the NIH announced funding cuts, prompting a lawsuit from 22 states, arguing that the cuts would “devastate critical public health research at universities and research institutions in the United States.” A federal judge recently halted the cuts.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food Is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, critiques the safety standards and processes for food additives in the U.S. “It shouldn’t be that we’re sure they cause harm before we remove them; it should be we’re sure they’re safe before we put them in food,” Mozaffarian says.
He adds that artificial dyes have no nutritional benefit. “If a food needs a food dye, if it’s that unappetizing and that unnatural, maybe we shouldn’t be eating it all,” Mozaffarian says. “That’s probably the biggest question: why do we need food dyes at all? That highlights the fact that these are probably subpar foods, subpar ingredients, and we shouldn’t need to make foods look fake to eat them.”
Mozaffarian suggests that research points to a lack of healthy foods, rather than excessive consumption of harmful foods, as the primary threat to Americans’ health within the food system. He identifies the overall intake of as the second major issue, but views food additives like dyes as less significant, suggesting that factors such as the loss of food structure during processing, which leads to rapid and unnatural digestion, likely have a greater impact. He cites as an example, which contains Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, and Blue 1. “If we took the dye out, they’re still Froot Loops,” Mozaffarian says. “It’s a problem, but it’s not the biggest problem.”
