The move follows a tense closed-door meeting in March, where the Health and Human Services Secretary reportedly told executives from major food manufacturers to eliminate the dyes before the end of his term.
Sources told ABC News that Kennedy’s remarks in that meeting “rattled” industry leaders, particularly as the directive came without prior public consultation. The dyes in question—Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6—are commonly used in a wide range of snacks, cereals, and beverages.
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They’re all synthetic colorants derived from petroleum and have been part of American food products for decades. In a March speech delivered in West Virginia alongside Governor Patrick Morrisey, Kennedy directly linked these dyes to a range of health conditions.
“The loneliness, the dispossession, the crisis that we have in mental health, in suicide, in ADD, ADHD, all of these are linked — and particularly to the dyes,” he said. “It’s very clear that the dyes that Gov. Morrisey is banning, all of them, are linked in very, very strong studies to ADHD and to cancers. So we’re seeing an explosion in cancers in this country.”
However, Kennedy’s claims remain heavily disputed. According to FactCheck.org, there is no definitive scientific evidence proving that these dyes cause cancer in humans. While some studies suggest a possible link between artificial dyes and hyperactivity in children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a cautious stance.
“The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the FDA notes on its official website.
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Kennedy reinforced his stance during an April interview with CBS, stating, “Food dyes are kind of the most egregious. They don’t use them in any other country.” While it’s true that some countries have stricter regulations or require warning labels, like the UK and Australia, few have banned all of the dyes outright.
Susan Mayne, former director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, expressed concern over the focus of Kennedy’s campaign. “Focusing on risk factors where there’s really no significant scientific evidence indicating that they are causing these cancers while omitting ones we know are is really undermining public health,” she told FactCheck.org.
Kennedy’s announcement is likely to intensify the already growing debate over food safety, regulation, and the role of science in policymaking.
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