On Tuesday, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary spoke about HHS Secretary RFK Jr.'s ban on synthetic food dyes.
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00:00Thank you, Deputy Commissioner DiMontis.
00:03Good afternoon, Mr. Secretary, Dr. Bhattacharya, Governor, Speaker,
00:08the many Maha Moms and the kids here supporting the effort.
00:11Thank you for being here.
00:14That's great.
00:20Today, the FDA is taking action to remove petroleum-based food dyes
00:25from the U.S. food supply and from medications.
00:27For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living
00:33in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals.
00:37The scientific community has conducted a number of studies raising concerns
00:41about the correlation between petroleum-based synthetic dyes
00:45and several health conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
00:51obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, genomic disruption,
00:56GI issues, as I've seen in the hospital, and allergic reactions.
01:02For example, this Lancet study conducted a randomized, double-blinded,
01:10placebo-controlled study on food dyes and concluded that artificial colors
01:16in the diet, quote, result in increased hyperactivity.
01:20So why are we taking a gamble?
01:26Parents, moms, and dads have also tried to raise attention to the issue.
01:31Some parents have observed that these chemicals cause hyperactivity
01:34and even aggressive behavior, and that it subsides when the chemicals are removed
01:39from the diet of the child, and sometimes even reoccurs when those petroleum-based
01:45chemical dyes are reintroduced.
01:49As I know from my experience, taking care of children as a doctor,
01:53you have to always listen to the mom.
01:59Other studies have found that artificial colors that create vibrant colors
02:04mess with the child's developing brain
02:06to make ultra-processed foods more attractive,
02:10even when the child already feels full.
02:15These studies have associated food colors directly with obesity and diabetes.
02:21While America's children are sick and suffering,
02:2541% of children have at least one health condition,
02:30and one in five are on medication.
02:32The answer is not more ozempic, more ADHD medication, and more antidepressants.
02:40There's a role for those medications,
02:42but we have to look at underlying root causes.
02:47The F in FDA stands for food.
02:51Now, there's no one ingredient that accounts for the child chronic disease epidemic.
02:56And let's be honest,
02:57taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply
03:00is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America's children healthy.
03:04But it is one important step.
03:07This administration is not interested
03:09in continuing down the path
03:12of doing the same old things
03:13as we watch our nation's children get sicker.
03:17We need fresh, new approaches.
03:22Cancer and diabetes in young people
03:24is going up at an alarming rate,
03:26and nobody seems to know why.
03:28We have to turn our attention
03:31to underlying causes,
03:33such as chemicals and toxins
03:36that children are exposed to,
03:37not just more insulin and chemotherapy.
03:42And let's not forget
03:43that the best way to lower drug prices
03:45is to stop taking drugs we don't need.
03:4930 states concerned about this very issue
03:55have introduced bills or laws
03:58with a patchwork of standards for food companies.
04:02So the food industry,
04:03which has many good people,
04:05has asked for clarity.
04:08So today the FDA is taking the following steps.
04:11Number one,
04:11establishing a national standard and timeline
04:14for the food industry
04:15to transition from petroleum-based food dyes
04:18to natural alternatives.
04:20Number two,
04:21initiating a process
04:23to revoke authorization
04:24of synthetic food colorings,
04:26including those not in production,
04:28namely citrus, red, number two,
04:30and orange bee,
04:31within the coming weeks.
04:34Number three,
04:34taking steps to eliminate
04:36the remaining six synthetic dyes
04:39on the market
04:40from the U.S. food supply.
04:42Specifically,
04:43red dye number 40,
04:44yellow dye number five,
04:45yellow dye number six,
04:46blue dye number one,
04:48blue dye number two,
04:49and green dye number three
04:50by the end of next year.
05:01We are also requesting food companies
05:05to remove red dye number three
05:06sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline
05:11previously announced.
05:13These steps that we are taking
05:15means that the FDA
05:17is effectively removing
05:19all petroleum-based food dyes
05:21from the U.S. food supply.
05:32For companies that are currently using
05:35petroleum-based red dye,
05:39try watermelon juice
05:41or beet juice.
05:49For companies currently combining
05:52petroleum-based yellow chemical
05:54and red dyes together,
05:57try carrot juice.
05:59The FDA is also announcing plans today
06:05to authorize four additional
06:08natural color additives
06:09using natural ingredients
06:11in the coming weeks,
06:12while also accelerating
06:14the review and approval
06:15of other natural ingredient colors.
06:18I want to take a moment
06:20to thank America's food manufacturers.
06:23Many have been extremely cooperative.
06:26There are many good people
06:27in food manufacturing,
06:29delivering on the needs
06:30of the American public,
06:31and they have done exactly
06:34what we have asked them to do.
06:36A hundred years ago,
06:37we asked them to focus
06:40on mass food production
06:41to solve food insecurity.
06:44Now, given our child
06:47chronic disease epidemic,
06:48an enormous suffering
06:50and cost that has ensued,
06:51we have to come together
06:53to address the new problem.
06:55That's right,
06:55we have to come together.
06:59If we can get beyond
07:00the tribalism in our society,
07:03rampant in our culture,
07:05we will realize
07:06that we all want
07:08the same things.
07:11Republican, Democrat,
07:13and independent moms
07:14showed up in high numbers
07:16to vote for President Trump
07:18on this very issue
07:20that Secretary Kennedy
07:21has championed.
07:22Moms across America
07:25have spoken
07:26and they want
07:27more honesty
07:28and humility
07:30from our nation's
07:32healthcare leaders.
07:34And if we're being honest,
07:37ADHD is not
07:38a genetic problem
07:39and our obesity epidemic
07:42is not a willpower problem.
07:44It's something that
07:46adults have done
07:47to children.
07:48I was reading
07:50a New England Journal
07:51of Medicine article
07:52recently,
07:54came out in January,
07:55referring to the
07:56chronic disease epidemic
07:57in children,
07:58specifically
07:59infertility,
08:03diabetes,
08:03obesity,
08:04attention deficit disorder,
08:05and many other
08:06health problems.
08:08And it referred
08:09to that group
08:10of problems
08:11with an interesting term.
08:12It called them
08:14non-communicable
08:15diseases
08:16of children.
08:18Non-communicable
08:20diseases.
08:22Well, actually,
08:22they are communicable.
08:25But they're not getting,
08:25kids are not getting
08:26these diseases
08:27from viruses
08:28or bacteria.
08:29They're getting them
08:30from using their phones
08:31and ultra-processed foods
08:33and chemicals
08:34and toxins
08:35that we have introduced
08:36into their world.
08:39Gandhi once said,
08:41Gandhi once said,
08:43the true mark
08:44of a society
08:45can be found
08:46in how it treats
08:47its most vulnerable
08:49members,
08:50including children.
08:54Secretary Kennedy
08:55has said
08:56that he would
08:58instruct the FDA
08:59to examine
08:59concerning ingredients
09:01in the nation's
09:02food supply,
09:02and today,
09:03we are delivering
09:04on that promise.
09:11To be clear,
09:16the transition
09:16from petroleum-based
09:18food dyes
09:19to natural ingredient
09:22food dyes
09:22will not increase
09:24food prices.
09:26We know that
09:27from other countries
09:28that have already
09:28made the transition.
09:30It's not an opinion.
09:33Today's announcement
09:34fulfills the administration's
09:35promise to use both
09:37gold standard science
09:38and common sense.
09:48For the last 50 years,
09:50we have been running
09:53one of the largest
09:55uncontrolled
09:56scientific experiments
09:57in the world
09:59on our nation's children
10:01without their consent.
10:02And today,
10:05we are removing
10:06these petroleum-based
10:08chemicals
10:08from their food supply.
10:17In summary,
10:19we are simply asking
10:20American food companies
10:22to replace
10:23petroleum-based
10:24food dyes
10:24with natural ingredients
10:26for American children
10:28just as they already do
10:30for children
10:32in other countries.
10:34American children
10:35deserve good health.