The appeal of a brightly colored candy, the vibrant hue of your mouthwash, the pigment of your sports drinks — they’re all thanks to food dyes. These colorful additives don’t add any nutritional value to the foods, medications and drinks they’re in, but they’ve long served to make them look more appealing.
Under previous administrations, food dyes were considered safe to consume “when used properly,” Dr. Linda Katz, former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, said in 2023. But more recently, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that the government intends to phase food dyes out of the food supply by the end of 2026.
“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” Kennedy said in an April 22 press release. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.” In the long-awaited “Make American Healthy Again” report published May 22, the authors, including Kennedy, claimed food colorings are associated with “behavioral issues in children, such as increased hyperactivity and symptoms consistent with ADHD.” To read the full story.