House Republicans Want the FDA—Not States—to Regulate Food Dyes
June 20, 2025 | Source: Civil Eats | by Lisa Held
Since his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has enthusiastically supported state laws banning artificial food dyes. In March, for example, he traveled to West Virginia to celebrate the first state bill eliminating the dyes from all foods (starting in 2028).
Now, some Republicans in Congress are quietly pushing back on those efforts.
The House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee responsible for funding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted a report to explain decisions made in their draft funding bill earlier this month.
“The Committee is concerned that state legislative activity to ban FDA-approved food and color additives threatens both the FDA’s unified, science-based federal food safety system and the interstate commerce of agricultural, food, and beverage goods,” they wrote on page 83 of the report.