America's dairy farmers and ice cream producers agree to quit using artificial colors
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins, together with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Mary Makary, made essentially this announcement on Monday. (See the video at the top of this article.)
MAHA leaders, together with the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and dairy farmers, announced that artificial colors in ice cream products will be eliminated by the end of 2027.
Sec. Rollins told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Each one of these endeavors helps families make better choices and pursue healthier lives."
"I appreciate IDFA members for spearheading this new initiative and finding ways to promote President Trump's Make America Healthy Again agenda," she added.
Michael Dykes, IDFA CEO, said they've reduced sugar by 60% in America's schools and flavored milk, which is the No. 1 product for children.
"This announcement today represents over 40 individual ice cream companies," said Dykes.
"It's the single largest effort of its kind."
Sec. Kennedy commended major food manufacturers that have pledged to take artificial coloring out of their foods.
"With this addition today of the dairymen and the dairy food producers, we now have about 35% of the American food industry that has made commitments," said RFK Jr.
He added the stats are in addition to about 35% to 40% of the food industry, which was "already organic and healthy and chemical-free."
Dairy farmers from Michigan, Illinois, Idaho and Indiana were at the press conference.
Schwoeppe Dairy farm owner and fifth-generation dairy farmer Sam Schwoeppe of Indiana touted the benefits of consuming whole milk.
Her parents were foster parents, she said, and she personally witnessed the importance of good nutrition in her life, making it her core to her mission "to feed children."
"I'll never forget one of my brothers arriving [at] our family at the age of nine with gray hair, bald patches on his head and skin flaking off his body due to a lack of nutrition," she said.
"After one month of regular meals, including the dense nutrition provided by whole milk and dairy products — and of course, our regular weekend ice cream parties — he transformed into a little freckled-faced, red-headed boy," said Schwoeppe.
"It is essential we consume good, wholesome food products," she added. "Products containing real dairy are the most nutritious options, and even though ice cream is decadent and has calories, it sure beats the heck out of candy and soda pop for a sweet treat."
Dairy products are a good source of essential nutrients such as calcium, potassium and vitamin D, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines.
Commissioner Makary also announced the FDA will be approving another natural food dye: gardenia blue.
"The sickness of American kids is not a willpower problem. It's not their fault. We can do things that will make the food supply healthier, one step at a time," said Makary.
In May, the FDA approved three natural-source colors in food items: galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract and calcium phosphate.
The MAHA movement has spread to a number of local communities — with Stella's Homemade Ice Cream in South Carolina, plus King Cone in Plover, Wisconsin, doing away with artificial food dyes, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas probes M&M maker Mars' resistance to removing synthetic dyes
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -Texas' attorney general said on Wednesday he has begun investigating Mars, which makes M&M's and Skittles candies, for its alleged refusal to remove synthetic food dyes from its products. Ken Paxton, the attorney general, said in a statement that he issued a civil investigative demand for documents from Mars, as he examines whether the family-owned company violated consumers' rights through deceptive trade practices. Paxton said Mars has not fulfilled its 2016 pledge to remove all artificial colors from food products, saying it had removed "toxic" dyes in Europe but not the United States. "It's time for Mars to follow the lead of other companies like Nestle and Hershey by removing synthetic dyes from its products," Paxton said. "It's the right thing to do." Mars, based in McLean, Virginia, had no immediate comment. Removing synthetic food dyes and reducing Americans' consumption of ultraprocessed foods has been a priority for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as part of his "Make America Healthy Again" campaign. Kennedy has blamed the dyes for health problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cancer, though many scientists say more research is needed. General Mills, J.M. Smucker, Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo, as well as Hershey and Nestle, are among companies that have committed to removing the dyes by 2028 or earlier. Mars has said its consumers have different attitudes toward artificial colors in food depending on where they live, with European consumers preferring the dyes removed while other consumers prefer to keep them.
Associated Press
23 minutes ago
- Associated Press
PEPFAR keeps millions of people with HIV alive and may be spared from Trump spending cuts
The program known as PEPFAR is one of the most effective and popular U.S. foreign aid projects in history, and the government says it has saved the lives of over 25 million people around the world with HIV. But despite years of bipartisan support, PEPFAR has faced a severe threat as the Trump administration dismantles most U.S. foreign aid. PEPFAR on Tuesday appeared to be spared a $400 million cut as Republicans acted in rare defiance of a request by President Donald Trump. But governments, health experts and people with HIV around the world are alarmed by the effects of other U.S. aid cuts and chaos that are already disrupting the crucial supply of HIV drugs — which are meant to be taken daily. Here's a look at PEPFAR and how it affects millions of people globally. Fears of an AIDS resurgence Today, many babies are born infection-free to mothers with HIV — the U.S. State Department says PEPFAR has been responsible for 5.5 million such births — and most people around the world no longer see an infection as a death sentence. Governments in Africa and elsewhere had even begun to worry about complacency as people, especially youths, took the widespread availability of HIV drugs for granted. In another significant step forward, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved for use the world's only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV. But the abrupt U.S. aid cuts have health officials in developing countries warning of a return to the early days of the AIDS pandemic, when drugs were nonexistent or severely limited and clinics were filled with the dying. PEPFAR was launched in 2004 in response to those grim scenes. Also known as the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the program has partnered with nonprofit groups to provide HIV medication — including the preventative PrEP — to millions around the world. It has strengthened national health care systems, cared for children orphaned by AIDS and provided job training for people at risk. It has played an important role in testing for and tracking HIV infections. HIV/AIDS has no cure, and it has killed over 40 million people globally over the years. Now the U.N. agency on AIDS is warning that analysis suggests 4 million additional AIDS-related deaths between now and 2029, including 300,000 additional children's deaths, if programs permanently lose PEPFAR's support. From widespread support to baseless claimsSince PEPFAR's creation by Congress and Republican President George W. Bush, the program has largely enjoyed support across the political spectrum — and gratitude from countries whose health systems have been poorly equipped to care for millions with HIV. But misinformation has crept in. The Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative Washington think tank, accused the Biden administration of using PEPFAR 'to promote its domestic radical social agenda overseas.' Conservatives claimed there were efforts to integrate abortion with HIV/AIDS prevention, a claim the Biden administration denied. Similar claims linger under the Trump administration. Trump and his officials also claim widespread waste and fraud as they seek to dismantle U.S. foreign aid. But PEPFAR has been repeatedly scrutinized. Last year, the government said the State Department's Office of Inspector General had conducted 80 audits, inspections, and special reviews that included oversight of PEPFAR programs, 'including 21 thematic reviews and audits specifically focused on PEPFAR.' Impossible to replace US funding The $400 million proposed cut to PEPFAR still could be restored, in part or in full, as the bill on spending cuts faces a final vote in the Senate, a vote in the House of Representatives and Trump's signature before a Friday deadline. 'We must stay vigilant,' International AIDS Society President Beatriz Grinsztejn said in a statement Wednesday after PEPFAR appeared to be spared. No matter what, countries and health experts say it will be impossible to fill the funding gap left by the overall U.S. withdrawal of billions of dollars in aid for the global HIV response, including via PEPFAR. Last month, a UNAIDS report said the abrupt cuts have 'destabilized supply chains, led to the closure of health facilities, left thousands of health clinics without staff, set back prevention programs, disrupted HIV testing efforts and forced many community organizations to reduce or halt their HIV activities.' South Africa, where more people live with HIV than anywhere else in the world, has said 12 specialized HIV clinics that were funded by the U.S. have had to close down and over 8,000 health workers in its national HIV program are out of work. Now health workers there and elsewhere are trying to track down an unknown number of people who have lost access to HIV medication. The stakes are deadly. Stopping the drugs allows the virus to start multiplying again. HIV can rebound to detectable levels in people's blood in just a few weeks, putting sexual partners at risk. The virus could even become drug-resistant. 'It has really been hectic for us,' said Mbonisiwe Hlongwane, manager of the HIV program at the Bertha Gxowa public hospital in Germiston, east of Johannesburg. And the uncertainty only continues. ___ Associated Press writer Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg contributed reporting.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Constant Therapy Announces Collaboration with Burke Rehabilitation to Offer NY's First AI-Driven Post-Acute Outpatient Speech Therapy
New 24/7 digital care model gives patients recovering from stroke and brain injury access to personalized speech and cognitive therapy LEXINGTON, Mass., July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constant Therapy today announced a first-in-state collaboration with New York-based Burke Rehabilitation to launch an AI-powered post-acute speech therapy program for patients with stroke, brain injuries, and other neurological conditions. This innovative care model leverages the Constant Therapy digital platform with advanced AI technologies, granting users 24/7 access to personalized speech, language, and cognitive therapies. Together with Burke's high quality, one-on-one outpatient rehabilitation, this AI-driven care model will support neurological patients' recovery goals and improve their clinical outcomes. "As a proud pioneer of innovation in the physical and medical rehabilitation industry, Burke Rehabilitation is always in pursuit of cutting-edge treatments and technologies that support our patients' recovery goals,' said Burke Rehabilitation Vice President, Outpatient Services, Steven Tisser, PT, MBA. 'We are proud to be the first in the state to bring AI-driven cognitive and speech therapy tools to patients and caregivers. This relationship with Constant Therapy will undoubtedly support our patients' evolving needs on their individualized care journeys.' Burke patients will be prescribed three months of complimentary unlimited access to the Constant Therapy mobile app. This enables patients to maintain engagement with their speech therapy and cognitive therapy programs outside of scheduled clinical visits. Powerful Outcomes This announcement builds on the success of a small-scale pilot within Burke's Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (ICAP), where participants used Constant Therapy alongside traditional multidisciplinary rehabilitation. The results were promising. Over half of the participants achieved statistically significant gains—improving by more than 5.03 points on the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R)*, with an average increase of 8.9 points. These participants included individuals recovering from stroke and traumatic brain injury, highlighting the potential of AI-powered tools to enhance recovery in complex neurological cases. *The WAB-R test assesses linguistic skills most frequently affected by aphasia, plus key nonlinguistic skills, and provides differential diagnosis information. Separately, in a focused evaluation involving 37 participants from Burke Rehabilitation using Constant Therapy at home during post-acute care, results further underscored the effectiveness of digital tools in facilitating speech and cognitive recovery. 226,921 additional therapeutic exercises completed independently by patients at home over one year. 17% average increase in task accuracy**, showing meaningful gains in performance. 64% average improvement in task processing speed (latency percentile)**, reflecting faster cognitive response times. **Participants included individuals recovering from stroke or traumatic brain injury, all engaged in intensive speech therapy. Patient outcomes were measured by comparing their latest scores to baseline scores across 91 different Constant Therapy to Susan Wortman-Jutt, MS, CCC-SLP, Advanced Senior Speech-Language Pathologist at Burke Rehabilitation, 'We are thrilled to launch this initiative with Constant Therapy. AI has the potential to empower patients and caregivers with 24/7 access to innovative language and speech therapy tools. This integration motivates and enables participants to engage in additional practice at home between clinical visits.' "We at Constant Therapy are excited to join forces with Burke Rehabilitation, a nationally acclaimed leader in patient care," said Veera Anantha, Co-founder and CEO of Constant Therapy. "By integrating our AI technology, Burke is setting a new standard in speech therapy and cognitive rehabilitation unmatched in New York.' Constant Therapy Health is a next-generation digital health company whose technology is clinically proven to improve the efficacy of speech-language therapy and cognitive therapy, as well as increase access to and reduce the cost of therapy. Constant Therapy, an award-winning mobile program, uses patented AI technology to deliver personalized exercises that rebuild cognitive and speech function for individuals recovering from stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) or living with aphasia, dementia, and other neurological conditions. Built by a team of top neuroscientists at Boston University, Constant Therapy is used by tens of thousands of patients as prescribed by their clinicians, helping to create the world's largest brain rehabilitation database, and providing insights that can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of brain rehabilitation. For more information, please visit About Burke Rehabilitation:Burke Rehabilitation® is a nationally recognized and accredited not-for-profit healthcare organization that provides rehabilitation treatment, research, and graduate medical education. Burke offers a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services to improve the quality of life for people following an injury or surgery and those managing symptoms from chronic conditions. Ranked as a top rehabilitation hospital by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek, Burke Rehabilitation has the highest readmission prevention rate among the nation's top-ranked rehabilitation hospitals and is the largest provider of stroke rehabilitation in New York. In addition to its hospital in White Plains, NY, Burke has 15 outpatient locations throughout the Bronx, Westchester County, and the Hudson Valley with more sites planned. Burke is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System and has been named one of Westchester County's Best Places to Work by 914INC. For more information, please visit Contact Kelly FavilleFourSeventeen CommunicationsOn behalf of Constant Therapy HealthM A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
