On March 10, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary under the Trump administration, convened a closed-door meeting with top executives from major food companies, including PepsiCo, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Smucker’s, and Tyson Foods. Held in Washington, this marked Kennedy’s first major engagement with the food industry since assuming his role. His central demand was unequivocal: he called on these companies to eliminate artificial dyes, harmful additives, and unregulated chemicals from their products by the end of his term on January 20, 2029, coinciding with the conclusion of President Trump’s term.
Kennedy positioned this sweeping reform as an “urgent priority” for the Trump administration, linking it to his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, which seeks to combat chronic diseases tied to processed foods. According to a memo from Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association (CBA)—a trade group representing these companies—Kennedy stressed the need for “real and transformative change” by removing not just artificial dyes like Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5, but also other “worst ingredients,” including harmful additives and unregulated chemicals that have long evaded stringent oversight. He warned that failure to act voluntarily would prompt regulatory action, framing it as a clear ultimatum to the industry.
The meeting, attended by acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner and HHS Chief of Staff Heather Flick Melanson alongside the CEOs, underscored Kennedy’s broader critique of the food system. He has frequently highlighted artificial dyes’ links to behavioral issues in children, as well as the potential health risks posed by additives like BHA, BHT, and titanium dioxide, and unregulated chemicals slipping through the FDA’s Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) program. This push builds on recent momentum—earlier in January 2025, the FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 (effective 2027) due to its carcinogenic effects in animal studies—but Kennedy’s scope is far wider, targeting a host of synthetic substances still pervasive in American food.
The food industry’s reaction, captured in Hockstad’s memo and a subsequent thank-you letter to Kennedy, was one of tentative cooperation. The CBA signaled readiness to collaborate with the administration to “improve transparency” and base decisions on “science and risk-based” assessments, while defending their track record of providing safe, affordable goods. Yet, beneath this diplomacy lies unease about the scale of Kennedy’s demands. Reformulating products to remove dyes, additives like artificial sweeteners or preservatives, and chemicals with murky safety profiles could strain supply chains, spike costs, and shrink product shelves—a concern echoed by groups like the National Confectioners Association.
The GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) program allows companies to SELF-CERTIFY thousands of chemicals as safe without FDA review, a loophole Kennedy argues has flooded the food supply with untested substances.
Kennedy’s agenda doesn’t stop at dyes. He’s also set his sights on overhauling the GRAS program, which allows companies to self-certify thousands of chemicals as safe without FDA review, a loophole he argues has flooded the food supply with untested substances. This stance has rattled an industry already reeling from the March 11 stock dips of companies like General Mills and Hershey, as investors brace for disruption. While some firms, like PepsiCo, have phased out certain additives in international markets, critics question why the U.S. lags behind. Health advocates, including Vani Hari (Food Babe), have hailed Kennedy’s bold leadership, but Big Food faces a daunting road ahead, caught between regulatory pressure, consumer expectations, and the practical realities of purging their recipes of artificial dyes, harmful additives, and unregulated chemicals.
Better is NOT Good Enough
As a healthy vending business owner on the front lines of consumer choice, I’ve witnessed firsthand how major food companies have begun to pivot their product lines in response to growing health consciousness. While their “better-for-you” options represent improvements over traditional offerings—reduced sugar content, fewer artificial ingredients, added protein, or whole grain claims—many still fall short of being genuinely nutritious foods. These products often rely on clever marketing language like “natural flavors,” “no artificial colors,” or “made with real fruit,” while still containing problematic ingredients hidden behind scientific nomenclature or misleading health halos. The reality is that many of these reformulated snacks and beverages remain highly processed, with questionable nutritional profiles despite their healthier packaging and positioning. This creates a challenging landscape for consumers trying to make truly healthful choices and for vendors like myself who are committed to offering authentically nutritious options rather than merely “less bad” alternatives. This is why we started our “Is This Healthy” blog post series.
What You Can Do
As consumers, we hold tremendous power to accelerate this shift toward healthier food options. While policy changes like Kennedy’s initiative are crucial, our everyday purchasing decisions send the clearest message to food manufacturers. By consistently choosing products free from artificial dyes and other questionable additives, we vote with our dollars for the kind of food system we want.
But don’t stop there—take a moment to contact your favorite brands directly through social media, email, or traditional mail to express your desire for cleaner ingredients. Many companies have already reformulated products for international markets without these harmful additives; it’s time they extend the same consideration to American consumers. Whether through government action or consumer demand, the movement toward truly nutritious, minimally processed food is gaining momentum.
The companies confirmed to have attended include PepsiCo, General Mills, Tyson Foods, Smucker’s (The J.M. Smucker Company), Kraft Heinz, and Kellogg’s (now part of Kellanova for its U.S. operations). Below are the official X (Twitter) account links for these companies as of March 14, 2025, based on their current corporate branding and activity on the platform:
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