Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says ‘want dyes out of food’, announces review of GRAS – What this means?

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr. had in his first meeting with officials from PepsiCo, WK Kellogg, General Mills, and other large food companies stated that he wants artificial dyes out of US food supply. The US Health Secretary has now announced the review of the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) standards.

“We want the dyes out of the food”, Robert Kennedy Jr had told the food companies in his meeting. The health secretary said that the Donald Trump government would “get rid of the GRAS standards for most products”.

"That designation was expanded by an industry that began taking advantage of it so that any new chemical that they want to add to our food is generally recognized as safe." RFK Jr added told news channels.

With review of GRAS, the US government and RFK Jr has the first step toward eliminating artificial dyes from the American food supply.

“Eliminating this loophole will provide transparency to consumers, help get our nation’s food supply back on track by ensuring that ingredients being introduced into foods are safe, and ultimately Make America Healthy Again,” New York Times quoted Kennedy.

Kennedy wants synthetic color additives known as FD&C colors, or Food, Drug & Cosmetic dyes, removed during his administration.

What is GRAS? How Will It Affect US Food Companies?

The US Health department has asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end a longstanding program that allows companies to declare ingredients in their products safe for human consumption without going through a regulatory review.

The Health Department said that companies should no longer be able to self-certify that ingredients are “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, and instead should submit those products for FDA safety review.

Last Monday, RFK Jr. told food companies that it was a “strong desire and urgent priority” of the Donald Trump administration to rid the food system of artificial colorings.

RFK Jr had vowed to upend the food system as a way to address growing rates of chronic disease and other health concerns even before his appointment as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.

RFK Jr. now oversees the FDA, the federal regulator for about 80 percent of the nation’s food supply.

According to a New York Times report, many food companies rely on artificial dyes to make breakfast cereals and candies dazzling shades of pink and blue, for instance, or beverages neon orange.

Some have already tried to adapt natural ingredients, like carrot or blueberry juice, for coloring, particularly for products sold in international markets, like Canada.

But the companies have said that consumer demand had weakened in the United States because of dissatisfaction with less appealing or vivid colors in snacks and drinks.

Bills to remove synthetic colors from the food supply have taken off since California banned Red Dye No 3, a move that the FDA followed. Other state proposals have targeted titanium dioxide, a compound used to make food appear shiny. Texas and West Virginia have moved to strip colorants from some school lunches.