--- title: "Government Banning Dye That Gives “Flamin’ Hot” Cheetos Their Distinctive Color" description: "All of your bizarrely-hued junk food favorites will soon lose their color thanks to a new artificial food dye ban proposed by RFK Jr." date: "2025-04-27" modified: "2025-04-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/government-banning-synthetic-dyes-rfk-jr" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "fda" - "junk food" - "rfk jr" - "snacks" --- # Government Banning Dye That Gives “Flamin’ Hot” Cheetos Their Distinctive Color ![All of your bizarrely-hued junk food favorites will soon lose their color thanks to a new artificial food dye ban proposed by RFK Jr.]() *\Image: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP / Dennis McColeman / Getty Images\* From Flamin' Hot Cheetos and Fruit Loops to Gatorade and Mountain Dew's Baja Blast flavor, bizarrely-hued junk food favorites will soon lose their color thanks to a new artificial food dye ban. As [*NPR* reports](), Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced earlier this week that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is under his purview, will be phasing out the use of six popular food colorants that contain petroleum over concerns that they may cause or exacerbate health issues. "We are going to get rid of the dyes," Kennedy said during a press conference announcing the ban, and "we're going to get rid of every ingredient and additive in food that we can legally address." In that same press briefing, FDA commissioner Marty Makary claimed that the artificial dyes are harmful to children and constitute a "toxic soup of synthetic chemicals" — but industry experts insist that there's not much evidence to support that theory. "Color additives have been rigorously reviewed by global health authorities... with no safety concerns," the International Association of Color Manufacturers, a food dye industry group, [said in a statement](). "Despite common misconceptions, \[colorants\] are one of the most highly regulated food additives, with a strong safety profile." When defending the move, Markay cited a 2007 study [published by the *Lancet*]() medical journal that found a link between increased hyperactivity in children who had soft drinks containing the [common preservative sodium benzoate](), which is not directly derived from petroleum — and, in fact, is not a dye at all. Still, that citation is telling because it alludes to one of Kennedy's favorite bogeymen: [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder](), or ADHD. Back in 2021, the state of California released a report, with [evidence from researchers]() at the University of California, Berkeley and UC Davis, declaring definitively that synthetic food dyes can induce or worsen hyperactivity in children than natural dyes. With a [growing body of evidence]() showing a causal relationship between artificial colorants and ADHD symptoms in some children, we won't exactly be sad to see them go — but as with everything related to the [toxic wellness nut]() that leads American healthcare, we're taking this with many grains of non-synthetic sea salt. **More on RFK:** [*RFK Jr. Surprised to Learn He'd Cut a Grant For Youth Diabetes Research*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()