One local business owner seemed moderately concerned at how dye changes could affect her operations. Others expected less impact.
In a statement issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, the Health and Human Services Department announced initiatives to remove six petroleum-based artificial dyes from the food supply. The administration is aiming to remove the dyes by the end of 2026 with a broader plan to “Make America Healthy Again.”
“Today, the FDA is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in the statement. He outlined concerns including childhood diabetes, obesity, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder by “doctors and parents” who fear a potential connection to petroleum-based food dyes. “We should not be taking risks and do everything possible to safeguard the health of our children.”
Initiatives include revoking authorization for two synthetic food colorings, Citrus Red No. 2, used to color orange peels, and Orange B, used to color sausage casings, “within the coming months.”
The government also intends to remove six remaining synthetic dyes — FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1 and FD&C Blue No. 2 — from the food supply by the end of next year, remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than previously requested, and authorize “four new natural color additives in the coming weeks,” including “calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue, and butterfly pea flower extract.”
Galdieria extract blue is made from algae, gardenia blue is a powder made from a gardenia flower extract, and butterfly pea flower extract results in a blue coloring.
Schronda White, of Scranton, the owner of Sturdy Candy and Consignment Shop for the past 2½ years, said she had no idea that the dyes, some commonly used to color popular candies, had any connection to health issues, and has concerns that the changes might affect her business.
“I’d probably lose a lot of business because I’m a candy store,” she said, adding that in time, with research, she could find candy that uses “the right dye” so that her business could recover, and that she has concerns about selling products that could “harm anybody’s health.”
“I would never put anybody’s health or situation at risk, I would never do that,” she said. “I would probably have to close and regroup and take the candy where they say dye is not recommendable and have to do a whole sweep. I wouldn’t sell that candy.”
In a candy ingredient and nutritional declaration dated from 2022, issued by Mars Wrigley, colors listed in the ingredients in M&Ms and Skittles include “Blue 1,” “Yellow 5,” “Yellow 6” and “Red 40.”
Joe Fasula, owner of Gerrity’s Supermarkets, doesn’t expect the FDA’s actions to cause big changes in the grocery industry.
“As far as the grocery stores themselves, it should be seamless for us,” he said, explaining that the stores “don’t really use any dyes” in their production. “There may be some in our ingredients, as far as our bakery icings and such. I would think those would just transition over to whatever the alternative dyes are,” he said, adding he is uncertain about how new dyes may affect prices.
He said over the years, things have changed in the grocery industry in general, citing examples including more avocados and off-season fruit in the produce aisle, fat percentages listed on beef packaging, and added sugar being included on food labels, and said he believes “more information is better.”
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” Fasula said. “I’m always opposed to more regulations, but I’m always in favor of more information, and I think that information is the best way to replace regulations. You don’t need regulations, necessarily, as long as people are informed.”
Kelly Baker, the manager at Everything Natural, a healthy food supermarket in Clarks Summit, said they support the changes.
“Oh, gosh, we’re definitely on board, we don’t carry anything in our store that has any artificial colors or flavors,” said Baker. She said if they happen to accidentally order an item with an ingredient that they don’t feel is safe for customers, they “don’t put it out.”
“All our colors are based on fruit — like say if something needed red colors, it’d use beet for that,” Baker explained.
She said she’s seen a lot of change in the last 20 to 25 years in what people want to eat, and she expects the rest of the food industry will “catch up” to her store’s exacting standards, in time.
“People are more geared to the natural foods, and we have people coming in looking for natural and organic items that don’t have artificial flavors and colorings,” Baker said, explaining she believes it’s because people “want to be healthier.”
She said she believes it’s possible that artificial colors and red dye may cause health issues.
“I’m not saying that’s true, but they’re saying a lot of things can cause autism, can cause this, can cause that,” she said, adding she understands that Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is spearheading the initiative to “ban all that kind of stuff,” including “the coloring, the dyes, everything artificial.” Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” website at Kennedy24.com invites supporters to purchase merchandise like a “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again” hat.
In Pennsylvania, House Bill 1130, introduced March 17, aims to “prohibit the sale of products containing Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3 in any public school in the Commonwealth,” citing research pointing to the improved academic and behavioral performance by students who eat healthy, and to problems with brain development, hyperactivity and more for those who do not.
“There is a growing body of evidence that links artificial food dyes to many negative health effects on children including hyperactivity, inattention, irritability, as well as other behavioral and developmental issues,” the bipartisan bill memo states. “Artificial food dyes serve no nutritional purpose whatsoever. We do not believe these dyes have any place in our schools.”
Schronda White, of Scranton, the owner of Sturdy Candy and Consignment Shop, holds one of her candy displays. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Sturdy Candy and Consignment Shop signs are displayed. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)