RFK JR. Rattles Companies with a pledge to rid food of artificial dyes

In his first meeting with senior executives from Pepsico, WK Kellogg, General Mills and other large companies, Robert F. told them. Kennedy Junior, Minister of Health, Frankly, a top priority will remove artificial dyes from the country’s food supply.

At the Monday meeting, Mr. Kennedy confirmed that it was a “strong desire and an urgent priority” for the new Trump administration to rid the diet of artificial colors.

In addition, companies have warned that they should expect a major change as a result of his endeavor to obtain the “worst ingredients” of food, according to a message from the Consumer brands Association, a commercial group. The Times reviewed a copy sent to the members of the group after the meeting.

While Mr. Kennedy said at the meeting that he wanted to work with this industry, he “also explained his intention to take action unless the industry is ready to be pre -emptive with solutions,” as the association wrote.

“But for confirmation, the time of the decision is imminent,” wrote Melissa Hawksadad, who attended the meeting, the group’s head, wrote in the letter.

Later on Monday, Mr. Kennedy A released Guidance It would also affect the country’s food companies. He ordered the Food and Drug Administration to review a long -term policy that allowed companies – regardless of any organizational review – with a report that a new element in food supply was safe. In its place decades ago, the policy was directed to ingredients such as vinegar or salt that is widely considered to be well understood and benign. But the appointment, known as GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe”, has since grown to include a much broader group of natural and artificial additions.

Mr. Kennedy has pledged to raise the diet as a way to treat the increasing rates of chronic diseases and other health concerns even before his appointment as head of the Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services. The FDA (FDA), the federal organizer of about 80 percent of the country’s food supplies.

Many food companies rely on artificial dyes to make breakfast pills and dazzling sweets of pink and blue, for example, or orange neon drinks. Some have already tried to adapt natural ingredients, such as carrots or berry juice, for coloring, especially for products sold in international markets, such as Canada. But companies said that the consumer’s request was weakened in the United States due to dissatisfaction with less attractive or bright colors in snacks and drinks.

Stephen Williams, CEO of the North American Department of Pepsico, attended the meeting with Mr. Kennedy, but the company said it will not comment. In an e -mail, a Pepsico spokesman said that the company looked at the meeting as a “fruitful first step” and added that it focuses on providing consumers “with more natural ingredients options, and there are no artificial colors and discounts in sugar, fat and sodium.”

Stacy Flato, chief company affairs official at WK Kellogg, said in an e -mail statement that the company is looking to work with the new administration.

Although the industry note expressed its warning about the artificial colors removal plan, it did not address Mr. Kennedy’s additional proposal, which targets some food ingredients that are safe.

Food safety defenders have criticized the current GRAS policy as a vulnerability that enables food companies to provide unpopular ingredients in some cases It proved dangerous. About 1000 components are considered safe by the FDA, but Mr. Kennedy targeted the components that companies deemed acceptable without government supervision.

“The elimination of this gap will provide transparency for consumers, and to help restore food supplies in our nation by ensuring that the ingredients that are inserted into foods are safe, and in the end it makes America healthy again,” Mr. Kennedy said in a statement.

Illustratic colors from food supplies have been launched since California has banned the 3rd dye, a step followed by the Food and Drug Administration. Other state proposals targeted titanium dioxide, a compound used to make food look shiny. Texas West Virginia has moved to the collection of tins from some school lunch meals.

In Mrs. Hawksadad’s letter to the CEO of the Food Company, she said that Mr. Kennedy wanted artificial colored additions known as FD & C colors, or food or drug dyes, which were removed during his administration.

Fanny Harry, a well -known online activist Fate Those who did not attend the meeting, praised Mr. Kennedy’s willingness to take over the food industry. “Bobby gave the food industry a warning,” she said. “Either work with us to make these changes or we will do it ourselves.”

Mr. Kennedy was expected to meet with the members of the Make America Committee again on Tuesday.

Stewart Pep, a lawyer who represents food companies, said that Mr. Kennedy’s plan was “ambitious”. He said that the Food and Drug Administration had traditionally proposed the removal of one coloring at one time, as it has provided research on the reason for the absence of an insecure item. Whether there is sufficient supply of alternative colors will be a source of concern for a wider plan.

“I think Kennedy has not hidden that he intends to follow the food ingredients,” said Mr. Pep. “I think this is the opening of that war.”

Dr. Peter Lori, a former FDA official and director of the science center in the public interest, a group of support, said that the effort may not have a significant impact on the main chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.

He said that the data related to cancer related to food dyes was mostly focused on the red number 3. On the days of the Biden Administration, the FDA issued a ban on the 3rd number of red, which will lead in the coming years. The red dye No. 3 has been linked to some types of cancer in animals, but not in humans.

However, he said that Mr. Kennedy’s move may be effective because the dyes do little without making unhealthy food seemed more attractive. He said that despite spending years to combat efforts to reduce food dyes, food officials may join other business leaders who were eager to KowTow to the current administration.

“Given their fear of the anger of the administration, he may only see them in their interest to comply with this,” said Dr. Lori.