Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to unveil an ambitious plan to eliminate artificial dyes from the nation’s food supply in his ongoing battle against highly popular ultra-processed foods and “toxic” additives.

The announcement, slated for 4 p.m. ET today, targets the petroleum-based dyes, commonly found in snacks and drinks, that Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly criticized as “mass poison” harming the nation’s youth.  Some scientific research has linked synthetic food dyes to neurobehavioral problems like ADHD in children, although these findings are fiercely contested by the food industry. In January, the FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 shortly before President  Trump took office.

Mr. Kennedy, whose office is calling this “a major step forward” in its efforts to “Make America Healthy Again,” aims to have the food dyes phased out by the end of 2026. 

Joining Mr. Kennedy at the press conference will be Vani Hari, also known as “The Food Babe,” a highly influential food activist and best-selling author who has called for American companies like Kellogg’s to remove artificial dyes from their products.

“This is the first step to the beginning of the end of artificial food dyes in the American food supply,” Ms. Hari told the Sun. 

In March, Mr. Kennedy directed the FDA to close a loophole found in the FDA’s Substances Generally Recognized as Safe, which allowed manufacturers to “self-affirm” that an ingredient is safe without notifying the FDA. 

Europe, which requires a warning label for products that use certain controversial  ingredients, and Canada already use natural dyes for the same products in place of the petroleum-based additives still commonly used in the United States.

Food additives that have been banned in Europe but are still used in the United States include titanium dioxide, a coloring agent that some research indicates could cause cell mutations and DNA damage.

Ms. Hari said she commends Mr. Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty A. Makary for holding “extremely unethical” food brands accountable.

“I understand how important this is to mothers like me who go to a birthday party and are worried about the frosting on the cake,” Ms. Hari said. 

“It’s also for the parents who don’t know the truth about the food industry and the millions of kids in schools that are getting fed these additives first thing in the morning in their cereals,” she added.