Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on petroleum-based artificial food dyes: warns against

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pressured food companies to remove synthetic, petroleum-based dyes, and his FDA moved to phase them out — acting commissioner Diamantas acted on the dye phaseout, and HHS staged an “Eat Real Food” event depicting Red 40 as a cartoon monster, per CNN’s August 10, 2026 coverage.

Kennedy’s stated reasoning, reflected in his public remarks and Senate testimony (per Sen. Tim Scott’s release on his HELP Committee hearing), is that synthetic dyes add no nutritional value and pose health risks, particularly for children — and that natural alternatives make them unnecessary. FDA has approved new natural color-additive petitions as companies phase out petroleum-based dyes under his pressure.

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