New Delhi, April 22 -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US Health and Human Services Secretary, is set to announce plans to eliminate the last eight artificial food dyes from the American food supply within a two-year timeframe, the department announced on Monday.

The new plan builds on earlier efforts to remove Red Dye No. 3, which was banned by the Biden administration in January after studies linked it to cancer in rats.

Kennedy's move significantly escalates regulatory pressure on food manufacturers to shift to safer, natural alternatives.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the following petroleum-derived dyes are used in a wide range of products such as cereals, ice cream, snack foods, yogurts, soft drinks, and even some medicat...