Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced this week a long-overdue plan to eliminate eight petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the American food supply — ingredients that have quietly made their way into the diets of millions of children and families for decades.
The announcement marks the beginning of a phased approach to removing harmful synthetic food colorings such as Citrus Red No. 2, Orange B, and six others — including the widely used Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Blue No. 1. These dyes have been staples in processed foods like Mountain Dew, Pop-Tarts, and candy — products heavily marketed to children, despite persistent concerns about their safety.
Kennedy’s blunt remarks echoed the frustrations of many Americans who’ve grown tired of unelected bureaucrats and powerful industry lobbyists making backroom decisions about what ends up on our plates. “If they want to eat petroleum, they ought to add it themselves at home,” Kennedy said, “but they shouldn’t be feeding it to the rest of us without our knowledge or consent.”
The move to phase out these chemicals aligns with the goals of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative — a health-focused campaign that emphasizes natural living and individual empowerment. While Kennedy, a political figure whose alliances don’t always align with the conservative base, has drawn criticism from both sides, this initiative reflects a shared value across the political spectrum: protecting children and holding Big Food accountable.
Red No. 3, one of the petroleum-based dyes targeted, was approved in 1907 — before the FDA even existed — and has since been linked to cancer and behavioral disorders. Yet, bureaucratic inertia and corporate influence have allowed it to remain on store shelves. Now, the FDA plans to pressure the food industry to remove it sooner than the previously accepted 2027-2028 timeline.
Although Kennedy admitted his department doesn’t yet have formal binding agreements with food companies, he suggested that “an understanding” is in place. He also claimed that major companies have already begun reaching out, asking what changes they should make — a sign that the tide may finally be turning in favor of transparency and clean food.
Still, conservatives should remain vigilant. Kennedy also announced sweeping ambitions to launch a government-run “open source” website to track every food additive, and even declared his aim to eliminate sugar — calling it “poison” — and push toward “zero sugar” in American food. That raises concerns about how far federal intervention in personal choice might go.
While the push to clean up our food supply is welcome, it must not open the door to new forms of federal overreach. As with any top-down initiative, especially from federal agencies, the devil is in the details. Transparency and accountability must go both ways.
Kennedy was joined at the announcement by a number of MAGA-aligned mothers and grassroots health advocates — many of whom have long fought to protect their children from toxic ingredients quietly approved by bureaucrats. Their presence serves as a reminder that real change doesn’t come from Washington elites, but from engaged, informed citizens demanding better.
This effort may mark a rare common ground in today’s divided political climate — but conservatives must stay alert to ensure it doesn’t morph into another bureaucratic crusade against personal freedoms under the guise of public health.
