The FDA Is Phasing Out Food Dyes — Here’s the Lesson Every Kid Should Learn

In a major move, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced a nationwide ban on petroleum-based dyes—including Red Dye #40, Yellow Dye #5 and #6, Blue #1 and #2, and Green #3—in all U.S. food and medicines, effective by the end of next year.

That announcement brought back a memory from five years ago—one that still sticks with me.

As is the case with most kids, random questions are often brought to us when we are deeply entrenched in trains of thought and work. Nonetheless, these are usually the golden nugget moments as a dad, to stop, take a deep breath, redirect, and teach. On that day, I thought my daughter was focused on her schoolwork when she walked across the house and asked:

“Dad, is the White Monster (energy) drink healthy to drink?”

Of course, my first thought was “Why (the hell) are you not doing your homework?” However, I was training myself to respond as if she was an inquisitive patient, rather than react as a "parent". I stopped and said “Let’s take a look at the ingredients, and we will see together.”

This is where the internet is truly a gift. Within seconds, we were able to look up the ingredients of the energy drink. Back then, most of the time when I talked about food to my daughter, I’d get either an eye roll or a response like, “yeah... I know, Dad.”

But on that day, she gave me what was probably a solid 30 seconds of undivided attention.

I told her that if you want to quickly assess what most consumables are made up of, look at the top 3 ingredients listed. I explained to her that the word “sugar” is rarely listed, but often appears under other chemical names.

The beauty of this story was that I heard her repeating this to a friend just minutes later.

“Check mark for Dad”, I thought.

That small exchange reminded me: teaching doesn’t always happen in structured lessons. Sometimes, the most powerful moments are the ones that seem like interruptions. They’re the ones that stick.

I Thought You Would Never Ask - Here Are the Other Names for Sugar!

• Agave nectar

• Barley malt

• Beet sugar

• Blackstrap molasses

• Brown rice syrup

• Buttered syrup

• Cane juice

• Caramel

• Corn syrup

• Crystalline fructose

• Date

• Demerara

• Dextran

• Dextrose

• Diastatic malt

• Diastase

• Ethyl maltol

• Evaporated cane juice

• Fructose

• Fruit juice

• Fruit juice concentrate

• Galactose

• Glucose

• High-fructose corn syrup

• Honey*

• Lactose

• Malt syrup

• Maltose

• Maple syrup

• Molasses

• Rice syrup

• Sorghum syrup

• Sucrose

• Treacle

Moments like these remind me:

Kids are always watching, listening, absorbing. What we model in curiosity, patience, and presence often matters more than what we say. In a world where ingredients are engineered to mislead and distract, something as simple as reading a label together becomes a powerful act—not just in nutrition, but in teaching discernment.

If this struck a chord, stay connected.

I write to explore the space where biology meets meaning—where science and soul shape how we live, heal, and relate.

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Be BioFIT — Be Educated, Not Influenced.
Grateful to be your physician guide.

Kevin Hoffarth, MD, IFMCP
BioFIT Medicine