Federal and Utah officials highlight bills banning supplemental fluoride in water, removing school food dyes and restricting SNAP soda purchases

At a press conference in Utah, state legislators and federal officials on Monday highlighted three recently passed bills — HB 81, HB 402 and HB 403 — that change state policy on fluoride, school food additives and SNAP purchases, and said the Environmental Protection Agency will review new scientific studies before deciding on any federal follow-up.

Representative Gracious, who sponsored HB 81, said the law "ensures that fluoride is no longer added to our public water systems" and described the measure as expanding "personal choice" by allowing pharmacists to prescribe fluoride supplements. Representative Kristen Chevrier, sponsor of HB 402 and HB 403, said removing synthetic dyes from school-prepared food and prohibiting soda purchases with SNAP will "help ensure that our children receive the nutrition that they both need and deserve."

EPA leadership at the event told reporters the agency will revisit recent science. Secretary Kennedy said the agency will "go back and look at these studies that have come out since July of 2024," citing a National Toxicology Program report issued in August 2024 and other peer-reviewed studies. "We're prepared to act based on these science," he said, adding that he believes the evidence against supplemental fluoride is "overwhelming" and asserting potential harms, including effects on neurological development.

Reporters pressed officials on both the evidence and the pace of any national changes. Amy of the Deseret News asked whether Kennedy had always opposed fluoride; he replied that his view "evolved when I read the science," and that the precautionary principle should apply while the agency reviews new findings. A NewsNation reporter asked what the country would look like if all 50 states stopped water fluoridation; Kennedy said some European nations have moved away from fluoridation without a rise in cavities and compared possible IQ improvements to the gains seen after the ban on leaded gasoline.

Speakers also discussed implementation questions: the host noted HB 81 includes provisions to make fluoride prescriptions easier to obtain for parents who want supplements, and officials repeatedly framed the measures as part of a broader public-health agenda. No federal rule change was announced at the event; officials described a review process and noted the EPA standard referenced in remarks was 4 milligrams per liter and that the standard had most recently been reviewed in July 2024.

The press conference concluded with officials saying they would consult technical experts and continue evaluating the science. No federal regulatory action was finalized at the event; the EPA said it would assess the studies it reviewed before announcing any next steps.