In late April, Robert Kennedy Jr., who heads U.S. Health and Human Services, announced plans to remove oil-based artificial colors from the nation's food. These include Red 3 and 40, Blue 1 and 2, Yellow 5 and 6, and Green 3, which are in many products in stores.
Kennedy didn't give many details on how they'd get rid of these dyes, but his department said the Food and Drug Administration will set a national rule and timeline for food makers to switch from oil-based to natural dyes. Now, they're starting to do just that.
"Today we take a big step to make America healthy again," Kennedy said. "For too long, our food system has used fake, oil-based dyes that don't help nutrition and can be risky. We're getting rid of these dyes and okaying safe, natural options—to guard families and support healthier choices."
Martin A. Makary, the FDA boss, said his team has been working fast to get these decisions out, showing they really want to move away from oil-based dyes in the food supply and offer new colors from nature. It can now be added to many products like non-alcoholic drinks, fruit drinks, breakfast cereals, hard candy, frostings, ice cream, yogurt, and liquid creamers.
They also okayed butterfly pea flower extract, another blue color that can make bright blues, deep purples, and natural greens. The FDA said it was already used in sports drinks, alcoholic drinks, dairy drinks, and teas, but now you can find it in cereals, crackers, snack mixes, pretzels, and chips.
Lastly, the FDA gave the green light to calcium phosphate, a white compound now allowed in ready-to-eat chicken, white candy melts, doughnut sugar, and candy coatings.
Once the FDA says yes to a color additive, any maker can use it as okayed. This means you might see butterfly pea flower in your favorite candy soon. But "soon" is the important word. The International Association of Color Manufacturers said in April, after Kennedy's news, that changing color formulas isn't quick or simple, and it could make it hard to find common, cheap grocery items.
"Natural colors can cost more depending on the raw thing used," Agallar said. "These things can change a lot due to availability, harvest time, and the color you get from the raw thing. The natural color needed to swap a fake color can cost ten times as much."