Two additional food companies said they would eliminate artificial colors from their products.
“Glad to see more companies like @Nestle and @ConagraBrands taking action to remove artificial dyes from their foods. I urge other companies to step up and help us Make America Healthy Again,” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
Glad to see more companies like @Nestle and @ConagraBrands taking action to remove artificial dyes from their foods. I urge other companies to step up and help us Make America Healthy Again. pic.twitter.com/Kko7MucnP6
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) June 25, 2025
CBS News reports:
It’s the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027. General Mills also said it plans to remove artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals and from all foods served in K-12 schools by the middle of 2026.
The move has broad support. About two-thirds of Americans favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes, according to an AP-NORC poll. Both California and West Virginia have recently banned artificial dyes in foods served in schools.
On Sunday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed a bill requiring foods made with artificial dyes or additives to contain a new safety label starting in 2027. The label would say they contain ingredients “not recommended for human consumption” in Australia, Canada, the European Union or the U.K.
ADVERTISEMENTThe federal government is also stepping up its scrutiny of artificial colors. In January, days before President Trump took office, U.S. regulators banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of its potential cancer risk.
“Nestle will remove all petroleum-based food dyes over the next 12 months! We went bold and many great food manufacturers have responded. Thank you Nestle for your strong leadership!” Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said.
Nestle will remove all petroleum-based food dyes over the next 12 months! We went bold and many great food manufacturers have responded. Thank you Nestle for your strong leadership! https://t.co/onqqP2JZEZ
— Dr. Marty Makary (@DrMakaryFDA) June 25, 2025
Conagra Brands, the food and snacking brands company behind Slim Jim and Swiss Miss hot chocolate, will remove certified food, drug and cosmetic colors from its U.S. frozen product portfolio by the end of 2025 https://t.co/KpsVaHo945
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 25, 2025
Per Food Business News:
Nestle USA products that still contain synthetic colors include Nesquik banana strawberry low-fat ready-to-drink milk (Red No. 3) and Nesquik strawberry syrup (Red No. 40).
Chicago-based Conagra Brands plans to remove FD&C colors from its US frozen food product portfolio by the end of 2025 and to discontinue the use of FD&C colors in the manufacturing across its US retail portfolio by the end of 2027. The company also will not offer products with FD&C colors to kindergarten-to-12th grade schools by the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
“Conagra Brands is known for innovating delicious, on-trend foods, and our transition away from FD&C colors is just one aspect of our broader strategy to modernize our portfolio to align with consumer preferences,” said Tom McGough, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Conagra Brands. “Our leading portfolio of frozen brands, including Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s and more, will be 100% free from FD&C colors by the end of 2025.”
Conagra products that still contain artificial colors include Duncan Hines strawberries and cream frosting (Red No. 40 lake and Yellow No. 5), Duncan Hines Dolly Parton’s strawberry flavored cake mix (Red No. 40 lake) and Duncan Hines Cinnabon bakery-inspired muffin kit (Yellow No. 5 lake.)
The US Food and Drug Administration on April 22 announced it intends to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply by the end of 2026.
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