The federal health department has said it will move to phase out eight artificial dyes, citing health concerns.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that it would work to remove some artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply, citing concerns about how they might affect children’s health.
Among the dyes that the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is targeting are colorings common in ultraprocessed foods like candy, chips and some cereals. In a news conference on Tuesday announcing the effort, Dr. Marty Makary, the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, linked these dyes to obesity, diabetes, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cancer and other health conditions in children.
Several, mostly small studies have found a link between some artificial food dyes and behavioral issues, which medical experts have said is cause for concern and warrants further research. But some said it is unclear if removing the dyes would have a meaningful effect on rates of childhood obesity, diabetes or other problems.
“Nobody’s going to be sad to see the food dyes go, but it’s definitely not the panacea that it’s being portrayed as,” said Lindsey Smith Taillie, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health.
What dyes are supposed to be phased out?
Dr. Makary named eight specific colorings that the agency would seek to phase out: Blue No. 1 and 2; Citrus Red No. 2; Green No. 3; Orange B; Red No. 40; and Yellow No. 5 and 6.
Exactly how the agency plans to do that remains unclear. Mr. Kennedy said major food manufacturers had reached an “understanding” with him. The F.D.A. said it would begin the process of revoking the authorizations of Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, which are not widely used. The other six would be subject to Mr. Kennedy’s nonbinding agreement with manufacturers.