Health authorities announce phased exit of petroleum-based synthetic food coloring
Apr 23, 2025
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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a press conference in Washington that `For a long time, some food producers have been feeding petroleum-based chemicals without any notification or consent. The days of risking children's health and development are over," he stressed. Ahead of last year's presidential election, Kennedy promised to address artificial food coloring and ultra-processed food issues in full if he becomes the head of health.
Earlier this year, the FDA announced that manufacturers using food and beverage red No. 3 in food and beverages and ingested drugs should stop using artificial pigments until January 15, 2027 and January 18, 2028, respectively, as it was previously claimed that artificial pigments could cause children to over-behavior and other neurobehavior problems.
On the same day, FDA Commissioner Marty Makari announced that he plans to cancel the permits for six types, including Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Blue No. 1, 2026, and 2027 for Red No. 3, respectively.
Director Macari says "FDA calls on food companies to replace petrochemical-based pigments with natural ingredients, as already in place in Europe and Canada for children in the United States.""At a time when there are growing concerns about the potential dangers of oil-based food coloring, every possible measure should be taken to protect children's health."," he said.
Food pigments that have been removed are currently widely used in cereals, salad dressings, sports drinks, carbonated drinks, candy, and snacks in the United States, and the impact of the measure on the food industry is expected to be significant.
In this regard, the FDA announced that it is rapidly reviewing natural substitutes and is providing guidelines for the industry and taking measures to increase regulatory flexibility. It also added that nutrition and food-related research will be strengthened to support the regulations well.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
