Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary pointed to the benefits Europe has gained from removing “petroleum-based food chemicals” from its food, which the Trump administration is seeking to do going forward. 

Makary, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., outlined a plan to phase out multiple artificial dyes from food by the end of 2026, part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again movement. Following the announcement, Makary detailed how Europe has seen “much lower rates of chronic disease” since phasing out food dyes, adding that these foods’ prices have not been affected.

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“We are asking, as an administration, American food companies to remove these petroleum-based food chemicals and replace them with natural ingredients for American kids, just as they have already done for kids in Europe and Canada,” Makary said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “That’s a pretty simple request. And remember: Democrat, Independent, Republican moms came out and voted for President Trump on this very issue, so we’re delivering on it.”

Makary further detailed how food dyes offer no nutritional value and “simply” add colors to processed foods. He also cited studies that suggest the “vibrant” colors used in some foods can affect a child’s mind, sometimes even urging people to eat more food despite feeling full. 

Makary commended Kennedy for seeking to try “fresh, new approaches” to the nation’s health problems. He suggested that “the same old ‘beat people down’” strategy for consuming fast food is not an effective way to address the nation’s obesity epidemic, and that HHS and the FDA are planning to use “incremental steps” in addressing health in the United States.

During Tuesday’s press conference, Makary detailed how 27 of the food dyes the FDA has approved are derived from natural colorings and that the agency is fast-tracking the approval of other natural dyes.

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Last week, Kennedy said that he would announce new studies examining the correlations between rising autism rates and “environmental toxins.” During his press conference, he highlighted the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showing that one out of every 36 children is diagnosed with autism.

Kennedy acknowledged that an abundance of research shows that genetics is “linked” to autism, but he also said that the role environmental factors play has long been overlooked.