Unless you’ve developed the habit of carefully reading nutrition labels and watching Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s YouTube channel, you may not notice the amount of tartrazine you’re taking. The US Secretary of Health Kennedy is fixed to a chemical and is called Yellow 5. Many Americans warned that they were eating this unconsciously in a YouTube video posted last fall. The lemon yellow shade covers junk foods such as Skittles and Mountain Dew. They are also available in chicken broth, pancake mix and pickles. In Europe, products containing Yellow 5 are marked with warning labelled “may have a negative effect on children’s activities and attention.” However, for 20 years, the FDA has refused to ban dyes, citing conclusive evidence.
Today, the FDA announced that it will move to remove yellow 5 and several other synthetic food dyes, such as Red 40, Blue 1 and Green 3, by the end of next year. That’s not a ban. Kennedy, who oversees the FDA, said at a press conference that he has reached a “understanding” with the food company to phase out these dyes, but details are limited. (A HHS spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.)
Today’s actions were a victory for Kennedy in many ways. Democrats have long complained that food companies should not foist versions of products containing chemicals, such as Doritos and flute loops, while selling additional versions in other countries. RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement has led Republicans to board the ship. In October 2023, California became the first state to ban artificial food dyes. Red 3. Since then, West Virginia has joined us. West Virginia banned seven dyes this March. In 2025, more than half of the 50 states introduced similar bills.
Placing on food dyes is a refreshing, modest, progressive step towards reforming the American food system. There is real evidence that these dyes are especially harmful to children. A 2021 review found that “synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral effects such as carelessness, overactivity and restlessness in sensitive children.” Many children it’s not Influenced by these concerns of caution, it is also difficult to identify one dye that is worse than another to clarify. However, as dye opponents argue, exposing the proportion of children to the issue of neurosis does not seem to be worth having a bright red skittle.
Leaving away from synthetic dyes is a monumental change for food companies, but there is a reason to cheer on today’s news as well. Ever since states began taking food dye issues seriously, the industry has complained that different state laws on food dyes would make it more difficult to run their business. In a statement, the consumer brand associations representing companies such as Nestlé, PepsiCo and General Mills said, “A state patchwork of different laws will cause disruption to daily products, limit access to daily products, block innovation and increase costs at grocery stores,” maintaining the group is engaged in the scientific sciences that supplemented them as being engaged in the use of additive IT. The industry is certainly pleased to hear that the FDA has not enforced a ban on common dyes such as Yellow 5, at least for now. “And let’s start in a friendly way and see if this can be done without legal or regulatory changes,” he added that food companies can use natural dyes such as beets, carrots and watermelon juice to color products instead of artificial dyes.
What if Kennedy’s understanding of the food industry was hindered, companies were balked, and Kennedy and McCurry’s work would become even more tricky.
It has historically taken the FDA years to officially ban one food ingredient. Despite the fact that scientific research showed that dyes caused cancer in rats decades ago, it took nearly three years to act on a petition to ban Red 3 in food. At least in part of the slowness is due to design. Regulators need to document the legitimate harm caused by these products, and the process can take years. The FDA’s work is also becoming even more difficult in light of the massive layoffs unfolded early in Donald Trump’s second presidency. Among the 89 staff at the FDA food centre are nine who are particularly tasked with reviewing additives in food. According to To Jim Jones, the former head of the center. (He resigned in protest of the February layoff.)
In any case, the speed at which the food industry introduces these dyes should not be considered a true measure of how successful RFK Jr. is. While cracking down on food dyes has become the main board of the Maha platform, chemicals are not near the biggest obstacle to bringing America healthy again. The true test is how Kennedy and his movement deal with much more pressing and cumbersome challenges in American diet. Even if our foods don’t have synthetic dyes, Americans still eat overwhelmingly ultra-processed foods with excess sodium and sugar. This doesn’t seem to be a lost point in Kennedy. Kennedy issued a harsh warning that “sugar is poison.” Still, he hasn’t made clear about his plans to remove ingredients from our food. It’s easy to step-by-step food dyes, at least compared to tackling these bigger issues. The real test of the Maha movement is not whether it can bring out red dyes from Skittles, but whether it can convince Americans to abandon Skittles altogether.
