US aims to ban artificial colours from food items completely: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a closed-door meeting with industry leaders on Monday that he plans to remove artificial colour additives from food items by the end of his term, according to a report by ABC News citing a memo.

At the meeting in Washington, which included the CEOs of Kellogg's, Smucker's, and General Mills, highlighted the goal of the Donald Trump administration to get rid of artificial dyes in American food, Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group wrote in the memo.

"The Secretary made clear his intention to take action unless the industry is willing to be proactive with solutions," Hockstad wrote while addressing the memo to "Consumer Brands Member CEOs."

Kennedy has constantly emphasised the goal of removing artificial colours from American food and setting up the foundation for the "Make America Healthy Again" movement.

Ban on Red No. 3

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quashed its authorization of a type of red food dye, Red No. 3, in January. Red No. 3 caused cancer in laboratory animals and was, however, permitted for use by manufacturers as scientists did not believe that it raised concerns about cancer among human beings, the report said. The FDA acted during Joe Biden's presidency due to pressure from consumer advocates.

Hockstad assured her association would work with Health and Human Services leaders to remove artificial colours from food items.

“We will be working with your teams to gain as much alignment as possible about how we move forward and ensure the industry is positioned in the best possible way as we navigate the next steps forward, but to underscore, decision time is imminent,” she wrote.

A spokeswoman for the Consumer Brands Association confirmed the authenticity of the letter and gave ABC News a copy of a thank-you letter by Hockstad to Kennedy.

“The industry is committed to delivering safe, affordable and convenient product choices to consumers. We will engage with you and the administration on solutions to improve transparency, ensure ingredient evaluations are grounded in a science and risk-based process and increase healthier options for consumers,” Hockstad wrote.

Kennedy's move also received praise from Vani Hari, an activist and founder of Food Babe and Truvani, who last year delivered 400,000 petition signatures to Kellogg's Michigan headquarters asking the company to remove artificial food dyes.

"I have been working on this issue for over a decade and I am thrilled Secretary Kennedy laid out an ultimatum," Hari told ABC News.

"These food companies have already reformulated their products without dyes in so many countries, now it's time for them to do the same in America. Americans deserve the same safer foods other countries get," she added.