Two major food companies will begin removing artificial dyes from their products, as per the recommendations made by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration in April.
The order by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and HHS Secretary RFK Jr. seeks the removal of eight synthetic, petroleum-based dyes, which have unknown health impacts. Kraft Heinz and General Mills have now announced that they will comply with the plans.
Emily Hilliard, press secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, reiterated RFK Jr.’s message, telling The American Spectator that the voluntary step by the food companies “proves that when the government sets clear, science-based standards, the food industry listens and acts.”
Targeted coloring ingredients include Citrus Red No. 2, Orange B, Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, and Blue No. 2.
Kraft Heinz announced that the company will phase out any use of petroleum-based dyes in its food products, and will immediately end the release of any such food products into the U.S. The company stated in a press release that 90 percent of its U.S. products are already free of harmful food, drug, and cosmetic colorations.
When asked about the company’s pledge to ensure healthful products, a Kraft Heinz spokesperson told The American Spectator, “We are using a three-pronged approach for this initiative: Removing, Replacing, or Reinventing. For most products, we can replace with natural colors.”
The spokesperson also addressed the logistics process, stating, “We will reinvent or reimagine the consumer experience, such as by replacing certain blues and greens with other natural colors.”
The food giant is the fifth-largest in the world, and its cooperation with HHS recommendations signals a massive win for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
General Mills has also agreed to remove the petrochemical ingredients, following an investigation into potentially deceptive advertising. The investigation, initiated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, aimed to examine the food company’s marketing of products as healthy, despite containing potentially dangerous ingredients outlined in the HHS recommendation.
In 2015, General Mills committed to removing harmful dyes, but it shortly after resumed production of the artificial coloring ingredients.
Following General Mills’ announcement of the ingredient removal, Paxton stated, “General Mills removing these toxic artificial dyes is an incredible win for the health of our children and all Americans. I look forward to finalizing an agreement with General Mills to ensure that this promise is kept.”
Texas AG Paxton is also investigating Kellogg’s on similar allegations of deceptive marketing.
Secretary Kennedy stated in April, “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development,” adding that rebuilding public trust in health services starts with removing “toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary also noted that restrictions on the harmful dyes have already been put in place in Europe and Canada, and that doing so is essential “to safeguard the health of our children.”
Actions by the FDA to remove the harmful chemicals include revoking FDA authorization of the targeted dyes, authorizing new, natural coloration alternatives, and partnering with the National Institutes of Health to further explore the harmful effects of the petrochemical dyes.
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