Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, took to social media this weekend to criticize the use of artificial food dyes.
In a Saturday post on X, Britt shared an April story from WHNT News 19 about a Huntsville bakery that claims to have ditched the use of all artificial dyes for natural alternatives.
“Toxic food dyes have no place in the American diet. I’m thrilled to see @GlutenfreeHSV eliminate all artificial food dyes from their menu, setting a healthy example for our state and nation,” Britt wrote.
In a Friday post, Britt also thanked U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after food conglomerate General Mills announced they would be phasing out artificial dyes from their products.
In a press release from last Tuesday, General Mills said it is working to remove certified colors — which are synthetic dyes approved for use in food, drugs and cosmetics by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — from K-12 foods by summer next year. The company wrote it is working to eliminate artificial colors from all its foods by the end of 2027.
“Today, the vast majority of our foods are made without certified colors and we’re working to ensure that will soon apply to our full portfolio,” wrote General Mills Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening.
Kraft Heinz announced the same day it would not launch new products containing artificial colors in the United States, aiming to eliminate all synthetic dyes from existing U.S. products by the end of 2027.
The company’s decisions to ditch artificial coloring come after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA announced in April that they would be working to phase out eight petrochemical-based dyes for natural alternatives.
The department’s announcement was met with praise from both Britt and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama.
“It’s past time our nation catches up with others to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our citizens,” Britt wrote on X.
Tuberville called the decision to phase out artificial dyes “great news” in a X post responding to the announcement.
“I called out FDA officials and DEMANDED answers on Red Dye 3 last Congress, and I will keep working with @SecKennedy to MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN,” Tuberville wrote.
Red No. 3 was banned by the Biden administration’s FDA in January in response to studies linking high levels of the additive to cancer in rats.
Kennedy has repeatedly attacked the usage of petroleum-based dyes in foods as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
Nutritionists, meanwhile, have been divided regarding the safety of synthetic dyes in food.
A 2012 study run by Oregon Health and Science University found artificial food colors may affect the behavior of children and exacerbate the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
A 2022 study from the California Environmental Protection Agency and two California universities also found there may be an association between synthetic food dyes and behavioral issues in children.
The FDA said in 2019 that an advisory committee could not establish a causal link between synthetic dyes and behavioral effects, but suggested further research on the issue.
