The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing with top FDA officials, including Commissioner Robert M. Califf and Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones, to discuss the agency’s stance on food chemical additives. The senators questioned the agency’s inaction against the “greed of the food and beverage industry,” leading to an epidemic of diet-related chronic diseases.
The discussion centered around red dyes 3 and 40, two synthetic colorants linked to adverse neurobehavioral effects in children and potentially carcinogenic. Despite a petition filed in 2022 urging the agency to revoke its authorization for red dye 3’s use in food, the chemical remains under evaluation. The FDA has not evaluated the safety of red dye 40 in over a decade.
FDA officials acknowledged resource constraints and court challenges hinder their ability to assess the safety of food chemicals. Dr. Califf stressed that scientifically demonstrating a chemical’s carcinogenic potential is time- and labor-intensive and that the agency relies on Congress for funding. The FDA’s lack of a legal mandate for post-market chemical reviews, unlike its European counterparts, contributes to the delay.
Dr. Califf concluded by highlighting the difficulty in driving changes to the US food supply due to consumer demand. An example was cited from Fruit Loops cereal, which removed synthetic dyes from its product but saw sales decline after reintroducing them. The FDA urged Congress for clear direction on mandating safety changes.
Source: https://www.food-safety.com/articles/9960-fda-could-decide-whether-to-ban-red-dye-3-in-food-in-the-next-few-weeks-officials-reveal-in-senate-hearing