Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
April 23 , 2025
Washington, D.C. — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ignited a national debate by asserting that petroleum-based synthetic food dyes are contributing to what he calls an "autism epidemic" in the United States. Kennedy’s claims, made during a series of press briefings and public events this week, accompany sweeping new federal measures to phase out eight artificial food dyes from the nation’s food supply by the end of next year.
Kennedy has repeatedly cited a dramatic increase in autism diagnoses—from 1 in 10,000 during his childhood to 1 in 31 today—as evidence of an environmental crisis, stating, “we know it’s an environmental exposure. It must be." He has accused food manufacturers of being permitted to “mass poison” American children, and he describes the crackdown on synthetic food dyes as a “major step forward” in his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
The new policy, announced jointly with FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, will phase out dyes such as Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Blue No. 1, which are commonly found in candies, cereals, beverages, and snacka. The agencies cite studies linking these dyes to childhood hyperactivity and other health conditions, and Makary has argued that “removing petroleum-based food dyes from the American diet is not a silver bullet, but it is one important step."
While some research has found associations between artificial food dyes and neurobehavioral issues—especially hyperactivity in children—scientific consensus does not currently support a direct causal link between these dyes and autism. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains that “most children do not experience effects when foods containing additives,” though it acknowledges that a subset of children may be sensitive to these dyes.
A 2021 review by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that certain food dyes may lead to hyperactivity and other behavioral challenges in some children, but did not establish a direct connection to autism. Kathleen Melanson, a nutritional scientist at the University of Rhode Island, notes, “There’s so much more to food than single factors,” cautioning that food dyes are likely only one piece of a complex puzzle.
Consumer advocates and some nutritionists have welcomed the move as a precautionary measure, while others—including scientists and public health professionals—warn that Kennedy’s focus on food dyes risks overshadowing other, more significant contributors to chronic disease and developmental disorders/
Major food manufacturers, represented by the Consumer Brands Association, have stated that safety remains their top priority and that they comply with rigorous federal and state safety standards. Advocacy groups for autistic individuals, meanwhile, have criticized the framing of autism as an “epidemic” and have called for a more nuanced understanding of the condition’s causes and prevalence.
Federal officials have begun the process of revoking authorization for several dyes, with Red No. 3 already set for removal from foods by 2027 due to cancer concerns identified in animal studies. The FDA and HHS plan to work with food companies to accelerate the transition to natural alternatives, though experts warn the process will be complex and may take years to fully implement.
As the debate continues, Kennedy’s claims have placed renewed scrutiny on the safety of food additives and the broader question of environmental influences on childhood health. For now, the scientific community urges caution, emphasizing that while some children may be affected by synthetic dyes, no definitive link to autism has been established.
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