June 17, 2025
Dear State Health Commissioner,
Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Rollins, we have an opportunity to leverage the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
The MAHA movement is tackling America’s chronic disease crisis, including diet-related diseases like childhood obesity and diabetes. With a proven track record of improving children’s health, WIC is an example of a government program that is focused exclusively on the nutritional health of its participants. It supports health-conscious food purchases by providing minimally processed, healthy foods needed to support healthy development during critical life stages—pregnancy, postpartum, lactating, infancy, and childhood.
I am writing today to request your commitment to review the foods on your WIC food lists and eliminate or reduce foods that contain artificial food colors, particularly petroleum-based synthetic dyes.
Recently, Secretary Rollins applauded the dairy industry’s voluntary commitment to remove artificial food colors from the National School Lunch Program. Participation in WIC is often a precursor for children participating in school meals programs. We have a joint responsibility to extend this commitment and mitigate early exposure to these food colors during infancy and early childhood—a period of rapid growth and development.
To further support consumers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, approved three food colors from natural sources and is working with industry to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes in the nation’s food supply. I encourage you to take action ahead of the planned phase out and support us in implementing the Administration’s future actions within WIC.
I look forward to working with you to Make America Healthy Again.
Sincerely,
James C. Miller
Administrator
Food and Nutrition Service
United States Department of Agriculture