BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – What’s really in the food we eat?
It’s a question on a lot of our minds these days, especially as what’s on the back of the box is becoming almost just as important as what’s inside of it.
During the recent legislative session, West Virginia lawmakers passed a sweeping ban on certain food dyes in the state.
Now, that conversation has moved to the national stage as the Trump Administration is taking similar steps to change what ingredients should be allowed in food across the country.
On Tuesday, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary held a press conference announcing that the agency would take steps to eliminate the synthetic dyes by the end of 2026. The ban would largely rely on voluntary efforts from the food industry.
The impact of food dyes on people is highly debated. Although the FDA says the dyes have been linked to a number of conditions from ADHD to diabetes, health experts say it’s not that straight forward.
“Do we need more science? More science would always help, of course, to nail it down, but right now, it’s not quite there, but I think it’s reasonable to err on the side of caution at this stage,” said Chief Medical Officer of Bespoke Concierge MD, Dr. Michael Ednie.
Ednie says the dyes are being used to make ultra-processed foods more appealing and that an added benefit of the ban is that it will reduce the amount of these types of foods Americans are consuming.
In West Virginia, Governor Patrick Morrisey signed a bill prohibiting certain food dyes from being used as an ingredient in school lunches and in food items throughout the state last month.
In terms of local food manufacturing, we turned to Oliverio’s peppers, which are produced right here in Clarksburg. The company says they made the switch from Yellow 5 — a dye that will soon be banned under West Virginia’s new law — to a natural substitution, turmeric, about four years ago.
Other local businesses are reportedly making similar product shifts.
Manufacturing and health questions aside, how do West Virginians actually feel about the dye ban? 5 News went to a local grocery store to find out.
“The food dyes are an issue to me because I’m highly allergic to red dye, and I can’t have anything with red dye in it, or it makes me deathly sick,” said grocery store employee, Nikki Hamilton. “I think that states should take all of the red dye off the market, and every state, not just this one.”
A customer echoed Hamilton’s thoughts.
“I’m really excited that West Virginia is coming to understand what other countries around the world have discovered,” said Ashli Nuzum. “I think we should keep following along with things that are harmful and toxic to humans, especially children and their young, developing bodies, that they should be taking off the shelves.”
Neil Bailey, another customer, said he believes all states should follow West Virginia’s example.
“It’s not good for you. You shouldn’t put it in your body,” Bailey said. “Flavor concerns me but does red food dye give it flavor? It just gives you a color. It’s not necessary.”
The dyes will be prohibited from West Virginia school lunches starting August 1st of this year, while the statewide ban won’t be fully implemented until January 1st, 2028.
As for the national dye ban, officials say ideally, the dyes would be phased out of the supply chain by the end of next year. However, the nationwide ban is heavily reliant on cooperation from the food industry.
“I think the food industry certainly is capable of these changes. For one, they’re making products for the EU and Canada,” Ednie said. “So, I think the big question marks are first, with cost, will the change in the product ingredients raise the cost of these items and then get passed along to consumers? The other one is supply chains would have to be adjusted. Again, I think these companies are capable of doing it. Then, they need cooperation from the FDA to regulate new products to replace those.”
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