WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it plans to end the use of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes in America’s food supply within the next two years in a bid to combat a myriad of health concerns, especially among children.
The policy was announced by Marty Makary, the newly confirmed head of the Food and Drug Administration, at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Also in attendance were Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and several representatives of the Make America Healthy Again movement.
“For the last 50 years, we have been running one of the largest, uncontrolled scientific experiments in the world on our nation’s children, without their consent,” Makary said. “Today, we are ending that experiment, by removing petroleum-based chemicals from their food supply.”
Though he quickly acknowledged eliminating what he called “chemical toxins” from the food supply is “not a silver bullet that will instantly make America’s children healthy,” Makary said it is “one important step” toward that goal.
“This administration is not interested in continuing down the path of doing the same old things as we watch our nation’s children get sicker,” he said. “We need fresh new approaches.”
In order to achieve its goal, the FDA on Tuesday began the process of establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives.
In addition, Makary said, the agency is in the process of revoking authorization for two synthetic food colorings — Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B — within a matter of months.
He said the FDA will also be working with the food industry to eliminate six other synthetic dyes — FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1 and FD&C Blue No. 2 — from the food supply by the end of next year.
At the same time, the FDA is fast-tracking the review of calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and other natural alternatives to the synthetic dyes it is eliminating.
In addition, the agency will be partnering with the National Institutes of Health to conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development.
Finally, it is requesting that food companies remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously required.
“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development,” said Kennedy. “That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust. And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”
Makary said a number of studies have linked petroleum-based synthetic dyes to adverse health conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, genomic disruption, gastrointestinal issues and severe allergic reactions.
“So why are we taking a gamble?” he asked.
Makary said other studies and anecdotal data have shown that 41% of American children have suffered from “at least one serious health condition,” and that one in five are on some kind of medication.
“The answer is not more Ozempic, more ADHD medication and more antidepressants,” he said. “There’s a role for those medications, but we have to look at underlying root causes.”
Makary closed by saying the FDA is simply asking that food companies act responsibly and replace synthetic chemicals they’ve been adding to the American food supply for decades with colorings made from such natural ingredients as watermelon, beet and carrot juice, “just as they already do for children in other countries.”
“American children deserve good health,” he said.
Source: The Well News / Digpu NewsTex