As head of Health and Human Services, which includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he plans to phase out a total of eight synthetic food dyes from American foods in the coming months to make them healthier and avoid potential harmful effects.

The FDA will revoke its authorization of Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, and will work with food companies to phase out their use of six other dyes, all of which are synthetic and petroleum-based.

The dyes are Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, and Blue No. 2.

“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary declared during the announcement at HHS Tuesday.

Cancers and behavior problems

The dyes are in such foods as kids' breakfast cereals, Pop Tarts, Takis, hot dog casings, and a number of candies and cakes.

In addition to the synthetic dyes, the FDA plans to pressure companies to eliminate Red No. 3 faster than the planned phase out in 2027-2028.

Red No. 3 has recently been linked to cancers and behavior problems in kids.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be conducting research into food additives and their impact on American children's health.

Correlation, not definite connection

Existing studies have shown a correlation between consuming these dyes and hyperactivity, obesity, diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal problems, and allergies, among other ailments.

“For companies that are currently using petroleum-based red dye, try watermelon juice,” Makary suggested. “For companies currently combining petroleum-based yellow chemical and red dyes together, try carrot juice.”

The FDA noted that a definite connection between synthetic dyes and health problems has not yet been found.

“All of these industries cast a dark shadow historically over this agency and there’s so many conflicts that we are now systematically eliminating that has allowed them to suppress the science,” Kennedy lamented. “There’s shockingly few studies, even on food dyes.”

An "understanding"

There is not a formal agreement between the FDA and food companies to eliminate the dyes, but HHS and Kennedy feel they have an "understanding" about what he wants to do.

“You win more bees with honey than fire,” Makary said when pressed about the mechanics of how the FDA and HHS plan to remove the artificial dyes from food products.

“Let’s start in a friendly way and see if we can do this without any statutory or regulatory changes,” he said. “But we are exploring every tool in the toolbox to make sure this gets done very quickly."