Kennedy to Announce Plan to Remove Artificial Dyes From the Nation’s Food Supply

The Trump administration said Monday it will announce a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary are expected to discuss the plan at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, according to a release from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy has vowed to eliminate artificial dyes from the nation’s food supply, claiming that the dyes are responsible for behavioral problems in children, including hyperactivity — a link that the FDA says it is monitoring but that hasn’t been established.

The FDA has approved 36 food dyes, nine of which are artificial and made from petroleum. The others are derived from natural sources, like vegetables.