Chester Cheetah Opposes Food Dye Ban: Op-Ed

As the longtime face of America’s most culturally significant puffed corn-based snack, I do not often step into the political arena. But in light of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposed ban on Red Dye No. 40 and related additives, I must break my silence.

This isn’t an attack on synthetic coloring — it’s an attack on identity.

The vibrant red hue of a Flaming Hot Cheeto does not occur naturally. It was built — engineered, refined, perfected — by generations of food scientists who believed in a dream: that snacks should not only taste bold, but look like the sun is screaming. The proposed dye ban threatens to erase decades of culinary innovation in favor of supposed health benefits.

Red dye isn’t just an ingredient — it’s a lifestyle enhancer. It’s the dust on your fingertips after a long day. It’s the residue on your steering wheel, your gaming controller, your child. It’s the mark of someone who lives fast and snacks faster. Banning it isn’t protecting public health. It’s neutering joy.

RFK Jr. may mean well. But he misunderstands the gravity of a food dye ban. Food safety is important, yes. But so is food swagger. And without our dyes, our nation’s snack aisle becomes dull and uninsipring. Flaming Hot Cheetos, a staple of the American teenage diet, would not exist without its distinct and unnatural neon red dust. I shudder to imagine a Cheerio colored Cheeto.

I urge regulators, voters, Americans -- stand with me. Stand with crunch. Stand with color. Stand with freedom.

In closing, I leave you with this: it's not easy being cheesy — but it's impossible being gray.

Chester Cheetah Chief Executive Officer Cheese-Based Lifestyles LLC