Food manufacturers will phase out eight synthetic dyes from all U.S. products by the end of 2026, the federal government announced today in a move that reflects the growing reach of the Make America Healthy Again movement.
Decrying the “toxic soup of synthetic chemicals” in Americans’ food supply, Food and Drug Administration head Marty Makary said removing the dyes from food as well as medications is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to address the underlying, preventable root causes of chronic disease, particularly among children. “ADHD is not a genetic problem and our obesity epidemic is not a willpower problem, it’s something adults have done to children,” he said at the event in Washington, D.C.
Food companies have voluntarily consented to getting rid of the artificial dyes, Makary said, but there is currently no formal agreement or ban. “I believe in love, and let’s start in a friendly way and see if we can do this without any statutory or regulatory changes,” he said.
Six of the dyes affected by the measure are common ingredients in brightly colored foods like M&Ms, Froot Loops, and Gatorade, as well as more unexpected products like pickles, chocolate milkshakes, and packaged mashed potatoes. These are Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6. The other two are less common: Orange B, approved for use in sausage casings, and Citrus Red 2, used to color orange peels.
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