Ice cream brands to change their recipes as part of RFK Jr's MAHA push
About 40 makers of ice cream and frozen dairy desserts said they would remove seven petroleum-based dyes from their products by 2028, according to Michael Dykes, president of the International Dairy Foods Association. The colors are Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. The trade group wouldn't identify the firms, although Turkey Hill Dairy chief executive Andy Jacobs was present at the event where the announcement was made.
The national focus on artificial food dyes is 'a good step to take,' but officials should not ignore larger known contributors to chronic disease, including the added sugars and saturated fat commonly found in ice cream, said Deanna Hoelscher, a University of Texas nutrition expert. 'Just taking out or changing the food dye source is not necessarily going to make it a healthy option,' she said. 'It still is a food that should be consumed in moderation.' However, Makary also hinted that new federal dietary guidelines, expected later this year, would challenge established links between saturated fat and heart disease, ending what he called 'a 70-year demonization of natural saturated fat.'
The average American eats about 4 gallons of ice cream a year, the IDFA said. The frozen treat contributes an estimated $12 billion to the economy and supports more than 27,000 dairy industry jobs. Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies showing that they may cause some neurobehavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and attention problems, in some children. The Food and Drug Administration has maintained that approved dyes are safe and that 'most children have no adverse effects' when consuming foods made with them.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized the dyes and pressured manufacturers to remove them from foods. In their place, manufacturers should use dyes made from fruit juices, plant extracts and other sources, federal officials said. The FDA has approved new natural color additives in recent months, including a new blue color made from the fruit of the gardenia announced Monday. Gardenia (genipin) blue is approved for use in sports drinks, candies and certain other products, the agency said.
Makary also sent a letter to food manufacturers on Monday that 'encourages' them to speed up removal of the dye known as Red 3, which was banned in January. Food makers have until 2027 to remove the dye, which was found to cause cancer in laboratory rats, but not humans. 'I'm particularly happy to be here today because this is relevant to my favorite food, which is ice cream,' Kennedy said at a press event, lauding the dairy industry for its actions.
'This is a great day for dairy and it's a great day for Make America Healthy Again,' added the IDFA's President and CEO Michael Dykes, referencing Kennedy's MAHA slogan that is a play on President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' or MAGA. Andy Jacobs, CEO of Turkey Hill, said many commercial ice cream manufacturers had already phased out artificial colors or were in the process of doing so. 'By taking this step now, ice cream manufacturers are ensuring that ice cream remains a special part of our lives as consumer preferences change and the nation's regulatory priorities evolve,' he said.
Some food companies have said they will stop using artificial dyes, but relying on voluntary action rather than regulatory requirements won't guarantee compliance, said Thomas Galligan, a scientist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. 'Talk is cheap,' Galligan said. 'It's easy for companies to make promises to look like they're being compliant and generate goodwill among consumers and the Trump administration, but it remains to be seen if they will actually follow through.' There are also concerns that the bright colors could encourage people to eat more sweet treats, leading to weight gain which is linked to a whole host of chronic diseases.
It follows moves from the states, with both California and West Virginia passing laws to ban some artificial food colorings. There are at least 30 others, mostly Democrat, considering similar legislation. Major food manufacturers including Nestle, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and PepsiCo have already signed on to ditch artificial dyes. Kennedy on Monday said between '35 and 40 percent' of the food industry has now pledged to make the shift, but it was notable the ice cream makers' pledge pushes past the health secretary's original target of end-2026, giving companies an extra year to adjust their supply chains.
But key holdouts remain - for example Mars, the maker of M&M's and Skittles, and its subsidiary Kellogg's, whose Froot Loops still use Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, and Yellow 6 in the US, even though the same cereal is artificial dye-free in places like Canada. The FDA recently ordered that Red 3 must be removed from foods sold in the US by 2027 and medications by 2028 , over concerns it can cause cancer. This dye is responsible for the bright red colors found in candies and lollipops, although there are now natural alternatives. Many states are also seeking a ban on Red 40, or Allura red - found in several popular snacks including Doritos, Skittle and Pepsi.
Yellow 5 is also on the chopping block, which has been linked to potentially triggering hyperactivity in children and damage to DNA. It is also used in Doritos, juices and cookies. Similarly, Yellow 6 - found in sugary breakfast cereals like Lucky Charms - and Blue 1 - found in sweets like gummy bears - have both also been linked to hyperactivity. Studies in animals have also suggested that Blue 2 - found in sports drinks - and Green 3 - often found in salad dressings - raised the risk of tumors developing, particularly in the bladder and testes.
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Daily Mail
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I spent $10K on a nose job...and woke up with part of my face missing
EXCLUSIVE I spent $10K on a nose woke up with part of my face missing READ MORE: Woman reveals horrifying nose after plastic surgery goes wrong A mother-of-four has been left looking 'smashed' and struggling to breathe after a $10,000 nose job. Ashley Caselli, now 37, underwent a revision rhinoplasty, or nose job, with Dr. Lindsay Sturm in January 2021, in the hopes of resolving her breathing issues. But when she woke up from the around three-hour procedure, the Iowa native says she was immediately plunged into a world of constant worries about her new nose. 'It just looked smashed,' she told 'It doesn't look finished. It looks like I am missing a piece of my face; My nose doesn't even have a tip anymore.' Once a social mom who loved taking pictures of herself with her children, Caselli is now consumed by fear whenever she leaves the house and is always photoshopping herself in family pictures. She also said her breathing is now 'much worse', and that she wakes up several times every night with a dry mouth and has to pull up her nose when she runs to get air in. She said: 'It's just no way to live. It really hurts your self-confidence; it hurts your way of thinking whenever you do things and want to take pictures with your family. 'Every day, I look in the mirror and I am saddened by it, and when people look at me, I constantly wonder, are they looking at my nose?' Ashley Caselli pictured before the procedure And afterward. She said her nose now appears 'smashed' Caselli is one of at least eight patients to have come forward in recent months alleging harm by Sturm, who ran a clinic in Iowa until February this year. The cosmetic surgeon and otolaryngologist, a surgeon specializing in the ears, nose, throat, neck and head, has also been accused of causing the death of her patient Angela Kettwig in a lawsuit, although she denies the allegation. The lawsuit is pending. Others to come forward include Christine Heintz, who paid Sturm $20,000 for a 'mommy makeover' in November 2021, which included a breast reduction and lift, abdominoplasty and liposuction. Just after the surgery, she said that a 'giant hole' opened in Heintz's right breast going back to her ribcage, with doctors saying most of the breast had died and could not be saved. She underwent further reconstructive surgery in January 2023 which resulted in her losing most of her breasts. In another case, patient AJ Gomez-Han visited Sturm in 2024 for skin removal surgery to his thighs and arms. Afterward, he developed a bacterial infection that evolved into an open bleeding sore and required six weeks in the hospital to fix. Sturm has not responded to previous claims against her and did not respond to request for comment on Caselli's case. Caselli has not filed a lawsuit, however, because the procedure happened too long ago for her to file a claim under Iowa law. After her clinic, Sturm Cosmetic Surgery, abruptly closed on February 9, it told patients in an email that 'due to personal, emergent medical concerns, Dr Sturm is unavailable to provide ongoing care.' Caselli is pictured above in the profile view before the procedure And again after the procedure Her nose shown above from the underside before the procedure And again after the procedure The Iowa Board of Medicine charged her with professional incompetence, including failure of a physician to exercise a degree of care ordinarily exercised by the average physician, in May 2025. Sturm opted not to contest the charges and has voluntarily surrendered her license, without admitting wrongdoing. She also filed for bankruptcy in June, according to local media reports. In Caselli's case, the mother and property manager went for her first nose job with a different surgeon in 2018 to open up her airways and resolve a long-term breathing issue. The initial procedure 'wasn't terrible,' she said, but she was still having trouble breathing out of one side of her nose and felt one side also appeared 'cuppier' than the other. This led her to contact Sturm, who said she would be able to help Caselli breathe better and have a more appealing nose. In a pre-op appointment, Caselli said Sturm told her that the previous surgeon had 'removed all the cartilage' from her nose, leaving it without proper support. (It is extremely unusual for surgeons to remove all the cartilage from a patient's nose). Sturm suggested extracting some cartilage from the top of Caselli's right ear and implanting it into her nose to help with the breathing issue, Caselli said. Caselli agreed, saying she was won over by the chance to be operated on by a female surgeon and Sturm's apparent personable and kind nature. Lindsay Sturm, who carried out the procedure, is pictured above. According to Caselli, the cosmetic surgeon said that in Caselli's previous nose job all the cartilage was removed from her nose Just before the surgery in 2021, the pair prayed together for a successful procedure and a good outcome. Caselli said after the surgery she had to wear a nose bandage and splint, a plastic device placed outside the nose after surgery to support its new shape, for about two weeks but, even with the swelling from surgery, became concerned about her nose every time she removed a bandage to wash it. 'I actually voiced my concerns because I did see some issues,' she said. 'One side of my nose that I wanted changed originally, that was still the same, and the side that was a little swollen didn't look right. 'I was also concerned because in the profile view of the side of my face, it looked different, the tip of my nose was missing, well, it didn't have a tip.' She said Sturm initially told her that the appearance could be linked to the swelling from surgery but then retorted that she shouldn't ask for a perfect nose because no one's nose is perfect. 'I was shocked by that,' Caselli said. 'I told her that I am not trying to achieve the perfect nose, I just want a functioning nose that looks nice and normal, but this doesn't. It looks normal it looks very messed up. 'She tried to make me feel bad for that.' Caselli also said that at one point a hole opened up in the middle of her nose after a suture came loose following the surgery. During the procedure, Sturm was also meant to perform liposuction on the bottom of Caselli's chin, but Caselli said that this wasn't done properly, with the area she wanted removed 'still there' when she woke up from surgery. Caselli is a social mom who loves to go out with friends But her nose is a constant worry Sturm offered to do a fat transfer to Caselli's nose after the surgery, Caselli said, but she refused, and says she's now seeking help from a new surgeon. Caselli also claimed that her breathing is now 'much worse' than before, with now having to breathe through her mouth most of the time. She said she holds up the end of her nose sometimes when she runs to get air in and is also waking up throughout the night, suffering from a dry mouth and breathing issues. 'I hope revealing this helps people,' she said. 'The irony here is that she was an expert and she still messed up my nose. Everyone should know the difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon. 'I am lucky, but unlucky, people go through worse things, terrible things, but they can cover their bodies. For me, I can't cover my face.'
