Vani Hari: FDA/HHS artificial-dye phaseout partnership
Advancing
On April 22, 2025, Hari spoke from the podium at an HHS press conference where Secretary Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Makary announced a plan to phase out six petroleum-based synthetic dyes — Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 — by the end of 2026, along with revoking authorization for Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, accelerating the removal of Red 3, and authorizing natural alternatives, per Reuters.
Hari celebrated the announcement on her site, foodbabe.com, calling it the most impactful day of her career and calling on every company to remove “ALL risky ingredients from their products that they don’t use in other countries.” The moment was the culmination of over a decade of her dye campaigns, from the 2013 Kraft Mac & Cheese petition to the 2024 Kellogg’s protest.
Reuters noted that independent scientists say the evidence linking dyes to the full range of claimed harms is still limited. Since the announcement, Commissioner Makary has resigned, so current FDA stewardship of the phaseout is a live question for the campaign’s final stretch.
Timeline
- April 22, 2025 — Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Makary announce the synthetic-dye phaseout plan (target: end of 2026); Hari speaks from the podium, per Reuters.
- April 22, 2025 — Hari calls it the most impactful day of her career on foodbabe.com and urges companies to remove “ALL risky ingredients from their products that they don’t use in other countries.”
- 2026 — Makary resigns as FDA Commissioner, leaving the phaseout’s stewardship an open question.
