In one of his first major announcements as health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called a news conference to unveil a plan to “phase out” synthetic food dyes.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary opened the event by saying his agency was “removing all petroleum-based food dyes" from U.S. foods. But the specifics did not become clear until the final minutes, when Kennedy revealed that the government had “an understanding” with foodmakers to voluntarily stop using the chemicals. A “national standard and timeline” for completing the process would soon follow, according to an FDA statement.
