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Shop NowDepartment of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will soon be issuing a directive banning eight different artificial food dyes that contain petroleum.
Reports indicate that Kennedy plans to ban eight petroleum-based food dyes: Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, and Orange B, according to the New York Times, which spoke with multiple HHS officials about the news. Hundreds of thousands of grocery store items will be effected by the ban, including cereals, sports drinks, and other popular grocery items.
RFK Jr and Dr. Makary will be holding a press conference tomorrow to announce the intent to phase out harmful food dyes.
For those that complain that Kennedy is all about food- this is a bipartisan topic. We can make progress easy and fast here. Vaccines will take time as they… pic.twitter.com/TkLbbB8edH
— Anna Matson (@AnnaRMatson) April 21, 2025
These dyes have repeatedly been linked to health problems, including hyperactivity in children, other neurobehavioral issues, and even cancer.
RFK Jr. plans to BAN eight food dyes linked to cancer from our food supply by the end of 2026
This could be MAHA’s boldest move yet
🔥 The gloves are off now that Dr. Marty Makary, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Dr. Oz are all confirmed
The dyes include Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red… pic.twitter.com/Si0xUjH5Mk
— Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) April 21, 2025
According to food industry experts, the costs of replacing these dyes in foods could be as high as several billion dollars. However, numerous companies already have different formulations for the same products that are sold in Europe and Canada, as those countries have already banned these harmful food dyes. Canadian and European versions of these products use natural color substitutes such as blueberries and carrots to dye their products. The American versions of the same products use Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Blue No. 1.
In a statement to the New York Times last week, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Martin Makary noted that the bans are in line with Kennedy and President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda.
“My feeling is, why gamble with the health of our children?” he asked.
“We have some data points. We have some observational studies. We believe that these artificial food chemicals are implicated,” Makary added. “My feeling is why not err on the side of safety? Why say, ‘Let’s just take the risk because the vibrance of the colors is so appealing, it’s worth it.’”
Meanwhile, health activists like Vani Hari are celebrating the move. “We never had a president ever talk about these issues in this way. You are watching an entire population who largely never knew about these issues hear about them for the first time,” she said.
Activists like Hari, who has been credited for pressuring Kraft to eliminate artificial dyes from its macaroni and cheese products back in 2015, have been calling out the dangers of food dyes for some time now:
