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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing for the removal of artificial color additives as part of his effort to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
At a private meeting in Washington D.C. on Monday, Kennedy met with top food industry leaders, including the CEOs of Kellogg’s, Smucker’s and General Mills.
Remarking on the matter, Kennedy said he aimed to accomplish the MAHA agenda item before he left office, according to a meeting memo obtained by ABC News.
The memo, written by Consumer Brands Association president and CEO Melissa Hockstad, described how Kennedy emphasized that removing artificial dyes was a top priority of the Trump administration.
Hockstad drilled down on the seriousness of Kennedy’s goal. “The Secretary made clear his intention to take action unless the industry is willing to be proactive with solutions.”
Kennedy’s food industry reforms are wildly popular among all Americans. In a December 2024 YouGov poll, 74 percent of respondents favored banning certain additives, including food dyes, from the food supply.
In January, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked its authorization of Red No. 3 after several years of public pressure. High levels of the dye were linked to cancer in laboratory rats, which violated an FDA regulation that prohibits the agency from authorizing color additives that induce cancer in humans or animals.
Another type of artificial dye, Red No. 40, has not been studied in over 20 years and is used in condiments and candy. According to ABC, some studies have found it to be a carcinogen in animals.
In Hockstad’s memo, she wrote that her association would work with HHS to remove “roadblocks” to enable food companies to meet Kennedy’s goal.
“We will be working with your teams to gain as much alignment as possible about how we move forward and ensure the industry is positioned in the best possible way as we navigate next steps forward,” she wrote. “But to underscore, decision time is imminent.”
Hockstad also penned a letter to Secretary Kennedy after the meeting. “The industry is committed to delivering safe, affordable and convenient product choices to consumers,” she wrote. “We will engage with you and the administration on solutions to improve transparency, ensure ingredient evaluations are grounded in a science and risk-based process and increase healthier options for consumers.”
