Unpacking Changes in Food Dyes and High Fructose Corn Syrup

There’s been no shortage of news out of the White House this year—especially from HHS Secretary RFK Jr. From vaccines to food dyes, there’s a lot to try to understand. I stay in my lane and focus my professional work on exercise, nutrition, and wellness. And whenever more than three clients ask me the same question, I take it as a sign to do a deep dive and explain it here.

Recently, clients have been asking about the administration’s intent to ban certain popular food dyes (sorry, Skittles!) and to reduce the consumption of high fructose corn syrup. Notably, Coca-Cola has agreed to make the switch to cane sugar.

Are these changes “good”? A step in the right direction? Or are they a misstep that distracts from more impactful changes our society needs? To help unpack this shift in food dye regulation and high fructose corn syrup policy, I turned to my colleague Tarah Valenti, RDN, from Custom Fit to help explain what it all might mean.