Lifestyle
RFK's plan to phase out synthetic food dyes could face industry pushback
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The Trump administration announced its intention to phase out synthetic dyes used to enhance color in common foods like candy and cereals.
At a press conference Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his agency is making the move as a first step to improve the nation’s food supply and address chronic disease.
“We are going to get rid of the dyes and then one by one, we’re going to get rid of every ingredient and additive in food that we can legally address,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration will take several actions aimed at phasing out synthetic dyes. FDA commissioner Marty Makary announced that the agency will work with the industry to voluntarily eliminate six commonly used dyes by the end of next year. It will also start the process of banning two other colorants, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B; and it’s asking food companies to speed up the timeline for removing the previously banned colorant Red No. 3.
“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” said Makary, citing studies that have linked synthetic dyes with ADHD and other health conditions. “Taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America’s children healthy, but it is one important step,” he said.
There’s no mandate for the food industry to comply with the phase-out of the six synthetic colorants, but Kennedy said “the industry has voluntarily agreed.” He said that a number of states have passed laws banning some food ingredients, and food companies have told him they want national leadership in this area. “They want clear guidelines,” he said.
Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, which represents U.S. packaged food manufacturers, defended the industry’s current ingredients:
“The ingredients used in America’s food supply have been rigorously studied … and have been demonstrated to be safe,” she said in a statement.
She added that her group appreciates that federal health agencies have “reasserted their leadership in response to the myriad of state activity in the food regulation space.”
She did not specify whether the group’s members would comply with the administration’s new proposal, but she noted the industry is increasing use of alternatives to synthetic colorants.
Studies have linked food dyes to behavioral and cognitive problems in children. When California’s Environmental Protection Agency reviewed the body of research on synthetic dyes back in 2021, it found evidence that the dyes consumed in food can negatively impact children’s behavior.
The watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest has pushed for bans on synthetic dyes for years. Thomas Galligan, principal scientist at CSPI said he had hoped the FDA’s Tuesday announcement would be a ban on synthetic dyes, not a voluntary agreement to get the food industry to cooperate.
“The FDA has the authority to ban them outright if they wanted to,” he told NPR. “So it’s a bit of a strange announcement.”
Galligan warns voluntary agreements have fallen apart before. “It’s worth pointing out that food companies have made promises like this before. They’ve claimed they’re going to get rid of these food dyes or other additives within a certain timeframe, and then they have consistently reneged on those promises.”
He notes the two dyes that will be banned, Citrus Red 2 and Orange B, are “very, very rarely used. They’ve essentially been abandoned by the food industry.”
The FDA also announced it will authorize four new “natural color additives” in the coming weeks and partner with the National Institutes of Health on new research into food additives’ impact on children’s health.
The industry group, the International Association of Color Manufacturers, pushed back against the characterization that currently used dyes are unsafe.
“Color additives have been rigorously reviewed by global health authorities, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, with no safety concerns,” the group said in a statement.
The push to eliminate synthetic dyes is one of the Trump administration’s first health policy moves, since initiating several rounds of deep cuts to both staffing and funding for contracts at all the federal health agencies.
Kennedy cited rising rates of various childhood illnesses and chronic diseases that may be linked to how we eat: “This is existential for our country and we have to address it,” he said, adding, “industry is making money on keeping us sick.”
Many of his remarks were met by applause from an audience at the press event that included MAHA supporters. Some attendees carried signs reading, “Make America Healthy Again” and “MAHA Moms.”
Kevin Spacey speaks on stage at the Better World Fund Gala in Cannes, France, where he was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
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Facing new sexual assault allegations in the U.K., actor Kevin Spacey was honored at a benefit gala in Cannes, France, which is currently hosting its prestigious film festival.
Spacey’s appearance raised eyebrows, but he was warmly greeted during a photo shoot.
As reported by AFP, Spacey told the media before the event, “I feel surrounded by so much affection and love. I’ve heard from so many of my friends and colleagues and co-stars in the last week since this award was announced.” He added, “It’s very nice to be back.”
When asked if this was the beginning of a comeback for him, Spacey was quoted as saying, “I’m glad to be working, I’ll tell you that.”
While it’s not directly associated with the festival, the Better World Fund Gala took place Tuesday night at the Carlton Hotel, one of the festival’s premier sites.
The Better World Fund supports “cinema & art at the service of humanity,” focusing on women’s rights, gender equality and education.https://www.betterworld.fund/Previous galas honored actors Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Sharon Stone. This year, it celebrated Spacey’s lifetime achievements, including Academy Awards for The Usual Suspects (1995) and American Beauty (1999) and his roles in Se7en (1995) and House of Cards (2013-2018).
“Kevin’s extraordinary contributions to the art of cinema have left a mark on audiences and filmmakers alike,” Manuel Collas De La Roche, the president and founder of the Better World Fund, said in a statement. “His talent, depth, and commitment to storytelling exemplify the transformative power of film. It is with great excitement that we celebrate his legacy and presence at this meaningful gathering.”
This is just the latest lifetime achievement award the 65-year-old has received since his acting career was derailed by a number of sexual misconduct allegations and trials. Since 2017, more than 30 men have accused Spacey of sexual assault or inappropriate behavior, including actor Guy Pearce, who claims Spacey behaved inappropriately toward him on the set of the 1997 film LA Confidential. On X, Spacey posted a video telling Pearce to “grow up. You are not a victim.”
In 2018, Spacey faced felony charges of indecent assault and battery against an 18-year-old man, though prosecutors dropped the case after the witness stopped testifying.
Actor Anthony Rapp claimed he was 14 when Spacey molested him. In 2020, Rapp sued him for $40 million in damages in a civil court, but two years later, a jury found Spacey not liable. After that, Netflix fired Spacey from his role on the hit series House of Cards, and Ridley Scott replaced him with another actor in the film All the Money in the World.
The following year in London, Spacey was acquitted of multiple counts of sexual assault and indecent assault incidents in the U.K. that dated back to the period between 2001 and 2013, when Spacey served as the artistic director of London’s Old Vic theater. In February of this year, actor Ruari Cannon filed a civil lawsuit at London’s High Court against Spacey and the Old Vic, although details have not yet been revealed.
In recent years, Spacey has quietly returned to acting, mostly in Italian films, including a role as the devil in the 2024 thriller The Contract. His trip to Cannes and the Better World Fund award were organized by producers of the British independent film The Awakening, described by Camelot Films as a “conspiracy action thriller.”
Producers from the production company are at Cannes to sell the film, and brought Spacey to meet with potential buyers. Camelot Films is one of the sponsors of the Better World Fund gala.
Spacey’s appearance during the Cannes Film Festival came as Cannes officials declared French actor Theo Navarro-Mussy a persona non grata on the Promenade de la Croisette. The 34-year-old actor faces rape allegations against him from three of his former partners. Their complaints were dismissed for lack of evidence, but they reportedly plan to file a new complaint. The festival’s opening was marred by the sexual assault conviction of one of France’s most iconic cinematic figures, Gerard Depardieu.
Bill Belichick’s Ex Linda Holliday
Confronted Jordon Hudson At Christmas Party
… & Threatened Miss Massachusetts
Published
Bill Belichick‘s ex-girlfriend, Linda Holliday, ran into his current one, Jordon Hudson, while the two were at a Christmas party late last year … and TMZ Sports has learned their meetup was anything but friendly.
The intense encounter went down on Dec. 6 … at a “Stroll Party” in Massachusetts hosted by Dreamland — which describes itself as “Nantucket Island’s Year-Round Nonprofit Film, Performing Arts & Cultural Center.”
Holliday’s daughters — Ashley and Kat Hess, AKA The Hess Twins — were DJing the bash … which started at around 7 PM.
But, according to a Dreamland incident report we obtained, at around 9:30 PM — Holliday, who reportedly moved into a Belichick-purchased Nantucket home in 2024, contacted an event official with a Hudson-related issue.
The documents state Holliday was upset by the presence of Belichick’s current girlfriend … believing it was “inappropriate, since the event was widely advertised as a party headlined by her daughters.”
“She asked that I remove Ms. Hudson from the premises,” the official wrote in the report.
A short time later, according to the documents, Holliday was seen on security video confronting Hudson with a few of her friends right in the middle of a dance floor — where roughly 200 people were partying.
The documents state as the Dreamland official approached the scene, Holliday and her friends “backed away” as the person questioned Hudson.
“I asked Ms. Hudson if she thought it was a good idea to be there considering the clear animosity the above individuals felt towards her,” the official wrote in the docs. “She defended herself by saying she’d done nothing wrong, and it was her first time attending Christmas Stroll and wanted to attend the ‘big party’ going on that night, which happened to be the one featuring the Hess Twins.”
“She said she was not looking to cause any problems, but just wanted to go out and have fun with her friend,” who the report ID’ed as Melissa Sapini, Miss Massachusetts USA 2024.
After being reminded there were only a few minutes remaining in the party, Hudson agreed to leave — but as she and Sapini were walking out, the event staffer stated Hudson told them Holliday, who has ties to the pageant world, threatened Sapini while they were on the dance floor.
She said Holliday told Sapini if she “valued her current title, she should think twice about who her friends are.”
Holliday allegedly added that she “had many powerful friends in the pageant organization.”
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The documents noted Sapini did not speak, but did begin to cry in the corner of the room while the conversation was going on.
A short time later, the event staffer returned to speak with Holliday, who said, “If this didn’t involve my girls, I don’t think this would have bothered me as much, but because it did the ‘momma bear’ in me came out.’”
Dreamland declined to issue a formal comment on the incident, though a spokesperson for the org. did tell us despite the heated nature of the matter, police never got involved and neither did event security. The rep added no one is facing any kind of ban … and all involved parties will be allowed back at future events.
We’ve reached out to Hudson and Holliday for comment, but multiple attempts to contact the two have been unsuccessful.
Holliday, of course, dated Belichick for nearly two decades … from 2007 to 2022. A short time after they split, Belichick got romantic with Hudson, whom he met on a plane ride in 2021.
Alexander Skarsgård in Murderbot.
Apple TV
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Alexander Skarsgård in Murderbot.
Apple TV
Murderbot is a very smart, very funny new sci-fi comedy series on Apple TV+. It stars Alexander Skarsgård as a cyborg who works security for a team of hapless, bumbling scientists exploring a dangerous planet. He’s hacked his own system and gained free will – a fact he tries to hide from them, even as he sardonically judges their naïve and foolhardy actions, and craves nothing more than to be left alone to watch his soap operas.
To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.
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