Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign to clean up America’s food supply is gaining traction in states like Louisiana and Texas, which are enacting sweeping laws targeting synthetic additives, dyes, and preservatives.
Nicholas Florko reports for The Atlantic.
In short:
- Louisiana and Texas have passed laws requiring warning labels on foods with certain additives and dyes, and mandates for restaurants using seed oils to post disclaimers.
- Despite holding federal authority, RFK Jr. has relied on state action and informal pressure on companies to drive changes, aligning with the Trump administration's discouragement of enacting new federal regulations.
- Several large food companies, including Kraft Heinz and Nestlé USA, have pledged to remove artificial dyes, but industry pushback and legal challenges could undermine the momentum.
Key quote:
"The food companies are coming in every day and saying, 'Stop the states from doing this; we don’t want to have a national product that has a patchwork of different states with different rules.'”
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Why this matters:
Food additives like synthetic dyes and emulsifiers are common in processed foods but have come under increased scrutiny for their potential links to behavioral and metabolic health issues. While some ingredients are banned or labeled in countries like the UK and Australia, U.S. regulations have lagged, leaving consumers exposed. State-level actions may shift the marketplace, prompting national brands to reformulate rather than produce different versions of their products. But this approach can be inconsistent, leaving gaps in protection. The growing patchwork of laws also risks legal and logistical challenges for manufacturers, and without a strong federal response, many potentially harmful substances may remain on store shelves across much of the country.
Related: Food industry resists pressure to ditch synthetic dyes in candy like M&M’s
