Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a plan to remove artificial dyes from the United States’ food supply.
Officials said that the government is banning two synthetic colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, which can currently be used to color hot dogs and sausages—and will work with companies to eliminate the other dyes by the end of 2026.
“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner of the FDA, said at a news conference in Washington.
He cited a randomized trial that found that artificial dyes in the diet resulted in increased hyperactivity in 3-, 8-, and 9-year-olds.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya also spoke. Kennedy told a crowd that included Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Moms that Bhattacharya was investigating various other food additives.
Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, which represents food and drink manufacturers, said in a statement that additives have been studied and demonstrated to be safe.
The FDA lets manufacturers use nine artificial dyes in food and drinks. Many are made from petroleum.
The agency in January banned one of the dyes, citing concerns about potential carcinogenic effects, but gave food manufacturers until January 2027 to stop using it. Makary said companies should stop using it sooner.
FDA webpages last updated in 2023 say artificial food additives are generally safe when used in line with FDA regulations.
“The totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” one page states.
In a meeting earlier this year with executives from PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, and other major food and drink manufacturers, Kennedy instructed them to remove artificial dyes from their foods within two years.
A PepsiCo representative said at the time that the company is “focused on providing … more options with natural ingredients, no synthetic colors and reductions in sugar, fat, and sodium.” Tyson has not commented publicly.
Kennedy said on April 22, “I want to commend food companies for working with us.”
But he also accused the food industry of suppressing research and said that the National Institutes of Health, which, like the FDA, is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is “narrowly targeting” additives for scientific study.
Officials said the administration had not yet made a formal deal with food companies on dyes.
“There are a lot of tools at our disposal,” Makary said. “Let’s start in a friendly way.”
—Zachary Stieber, Nathan Worcester, and Joseph Lord
ABREGO GARCIA: WHAT TO KNOW
For more than five years, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was an adjudged illegal immigrant living on borrowed time in the United States.
An earlier court order found that he was eligible for deportation, but carrying out the order was on hold due to his claims that he would be in danger in his native El Salvador.
In early March, he was summarily returned to his country without a hearing.
While he disputes the allegations, a judge overseeing his case has determined that evidence suggesting he’s a member of MS-13 is truthful.
An alleged violation of due process touched off a media frenzy and a legal tug-of-war that has already reached the nation’s highest court. The case is among several that could affect President Donald Trump’s pursuit of stricter immigration law enforcement.
Nearly a month after Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return to the United States. El Salvador has so far declined to do so.
Two descriptions have been attached to Abrego Garcia.
Republicans have emphasized his alleged ties to MS-13, his status as a Salvadoran citizen, and the outstanding deportation order that had been suspended at a judge’s discretion. The administration has suggested that the deportation was overdue and was executed for just cause.
Democrats have emphasized due process concerns, noting that Abrego Garcia was deported without proceedings despite an outstanding court order permitting him to remain in the country.
Abrego Garcia’s case began when Maryland police arrested him in the company of a trio of men whom police say were loitering near a Home Depot store in Hyattsville, Maryland, on March 28, 2019. An officer immediately recognized one of the men as an MS-13 member, prompting further investigation.
“Officers know MS-13 gang members are only allowed to hang around other members or prospects for the gang,” the record reads.
Upon his arrest, Abrego Garcia was wearing a hoodie emblazoned with a design depicting “rolls of money covering the eyes, ears and mouth of the presidents on the separate denominations,” Such imagery is “indicative of the Hispanic gang culture,” according to the record, and is used to indicate “see no evil, hear no evil, and say no evil.”
Abrego Garcia was also wearing a Chicago Bulls hat to signify that he was an MS-13 member “in good standing,” police stated.
“A past proven and reliable source of information” told police that Abrego Garcia was active with the gang’s “Westerns clique” and gave his rank and gang nickname, “Chele.”
In October 2019, a judge granted an order withholding his removal, a much-misunderstood decision, Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller said.
The judge’s decision to keep him out of El Salvador was based on evidence that he was in danger from the Barrio 18 gang there. But Miller said that threat is gone now because the Salvadoran government has worked to eradicate that gang.
Read more here.
—Janice Hisle, Savannah Hulsey Pointer, and Joseph Lord
BOOKMARKS
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) says it has saved more than $300 million by cancelling an unnecessary federal contract, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants to see the receipts. “Despite DOGE’s claims, there is no record of this solicitation in any federal procurement databases, and [The Office of Personnel Management] has refused to release any related documentation in response to public requests,” Schumer says.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that Trump’s trade talks with China are looking positive. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also expects a reduction of trade conflicts between Washington and Beijing soon, according to one insider.
Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has authorized DOGE associate Tyler Hassen to begin restructuring the agency, which regulates U.S. land and resource management. “We are now reviewing every single contract, every single grant, and when things come to my attention that don’t make sense, I’m bringing them to Secretary Burgum,” Hassen told Fox News last month.
Members of the South Carolina Senate voted on Monday to remove state Treasurer Curtis Loftis after he made $1.8 billion in accounting errors, although the decision will need to be backed by the state’s House of Representatives. The push to fire Loftis comes after an independent audit; his attorneys insist the errors were “an honest mistake.”
—Stacy Robinson
