RFK Jr launches war on ‘toxic soup’ food chemicals commonly used ‘without people’s knowledge’

The US is clamping down on ‘poisonous’ chemicals that are being used in food without people’s ‘knowledge or consent’, according to Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Earlier this year, a red dye known as Red No. 3 was banned by the Food and Drug Administation (FDA) amid cancer fears, with US law requiring a ban on any ingredient that has known links to the disease.

But it seems that’s just the beginning of the crackdown, with the Department of Health and Human Services and FDA together announcing a series of new measures in a bid to ‘Make America Healthy Again’.

Red No. 3 was banned earlier this year (Paper Boat Creative/Getty Images)

The move will phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply, a press release said, describing the change as a ‘significant milestone’.

In a statement, RFK Jr said: “For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent.

“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.

“That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust.

“And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”

RFK Jr described the petroleum-based chemicals as 'poisonous' (emptyclouds/Getty Images)

FDA's new measures:

• Establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives
• Initiating the process to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings - Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B - within the coming months
• Working with industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes - FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2 - from the food supply by the end of next year
• Authorizing four new natural color additives in the coming weeks, while also accelerating the review and approval of others
• Partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development
• Requesting food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously required

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news briefing that petroleum-based red dye should be replaced by ‘watermelon juice or beet juice’, also urging companies currently combining petroleum-based yellow chemical and red dyes to ‘try carrot juice’.

“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” he said.