India, April 24 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a plan to discontinue eight petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from the country's food supply soon. The food dyes that will be phased out are Blue 1, Blue 2, Citrus Red 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a news conference on April 22 that "Food dye is just a no-brainer. Nobody wants to eat petroleum. Everybody knows there's enough science out there that we know it's terrible for you. It causes health problems but also behavioural problems."

Claims have been made that food dyes like Red Dye 40 and Yellow Dye 5 can cause serious side effects like cancer, allergies, and also hyperact...