(Reuters) -Packaged food makers in the U.S. have rolled out plans to eliminate the use of FD&C colors – a category of synthetic dyes – from their products, responding to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again initiative and changing consumer preferences. In April, Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency aims to remove artificial food colors from the food supply against the backdrop of mounting concerns about their potential links to health issues such as ADHD, obesity and diabetes. Here are the companies that are preparing to eliminate synthetic dyes from their food products in the U.S.:
Company Comment Target
Year
Hershey Plans to remove End of 2027
synthetic dyes from
snacks.
J.M. Smucker Smucker said it End of 2027
would remove
synthetic food
colors from all
consumer food
products, and that
it is working to
stop selling
products with
synthetic dyes to
K-12 schools by the
2026-2027 school
year.
Conagra Brands Will remove End of 2027
synthetic dyes from
U.S. frozen product
portfolio and
eliminate using
artificial colors
in food served to
K-12 schools by
2026-27.
Nestlé USA To fully eliminate Mid-2026
synthetic food
colors from its
U.S. food and
beverage portfolio.
Over 90% of current
categories already
dye-free, the
company said.
General Mills Cheerios maker will End of 2027
remove artificial
colors from its
entire U.S. retail
business and
eliminate the use
of synthetic dyes
from all its U.S.
cereals and foods
served in K-12
schools by summer
2026.
Kraft Heinz Will End of 2027
not launch new
products with
artificial colors
in the U.S. and
aims to eliminate
synthetic dyes from
existing items.
Sam’s Club Walmart-owned Sam’s End of 2025
Club will eliminate
over 40
ingredients,
including
artificial colors
and aspartame, from
private label brand
Member’s Mark.
Tyson Foods Company said it End of May, 2025
would reformulate
food products
containing
petroleum-based
synthetic dyes.
WK Kellogg By 2026-2027 school
Reformulating year
cereals served in
schools to exclude
synthetic dyes.
Will not launch new
products with FD&C
colors from January
2026.
PepsiCo Will remove By next couple of
artificial colors years
from K-12 schools
food portfolio,
starting this
upcoming school
season. To migrate
the portfolio to
natural colors or
at least provide
the consumer with
natural color
options.
Kellanova On By
track to remove December 31, 2027
synthetic colors
from U.S. K-12
foods within the
2026/27 school year
and from retail
foods by 2027-end
(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry, Neil J Kanatt and Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
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