A growing number of well-known food products, from soft drinks to cereals, are being reformulated as part of a commitment made by major food giants to eliminate artificial colors and use cleaner ingredients.
General Mills and Kraft Heinz, two of the largest food manufacturers globally, pledged last week to remove all artificial dyes from their respective U.S. portfolios by the end of 2027. The moves came amid calls from the Trump administration to make the nation’s food supply more transparent and ensure the safety of chemicals in food. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in May that it was launching a stronger review process for food chemicals already on the market.
The artifical dyes are known as FD&C colors and labeled as such on packages because the color additive is approved by the FDA for use in food, drugs, and cosmetics. They are subject to a strict system of approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been working to cut out the colors from the U.S. food supply since taking office, arguing that “some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent” for too long. He also said that these “poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.”
NUTRITIONISTS REACT TO THE RED FOOD DYE BAN: ‘TOOK FAR TOO LONG’
The FDA has approved seven certified color additives for use in food, six of which were approved by 1931. Now it’s seeking to work with the industry to eliminate FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1 and FD&C Blue No. 2 from the food supply by the end of next year as part of series of new measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.
The FDA in January revoked the authorization for the use of Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine, in food and ingested drugs over concerns that it has been shown to cause cancer in animals.
Kennedy noted that this effort would need voluntary support from food manufacturers, but that the “industry has voluntarily agreed” to do so.
However, aside from General Mills and Kraft Heinz, In-N-Out Burger, Steak ‘n Shake, PepsiCo and McCormick already made similar commitments earlier this year.
Products that will be affected:
Kraft Heinz
A Kraft Heinz spokesperson told FOX Business that many of the impacted products are in its beverages and desserts portfolios, including certain items sold under brands like Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, Jell-O, and Jet Puffed – all of which “currently contain FD&C colors.”
Kraft said in its announcement last week that it would not launch any new products in the U.S. with artificial colors and that it is also working with licensees of its brands to encourage them to remove artificial colors.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KHC | THE KRAFT HEINZ CO. | 25.80 | +0.12 | +0.47% |
The company’s well-known tomato ketchup has never included artificial dyes as the red color comes from the tomatoes it is made with. The company did, however, remove artificial colors, preservatives and flavors from its Kraft Mac & Cheese in 2016.
FDA BANS ARTIFICIAL RED DYE: WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CONSUMERS
General Mills
General Mills said 85% of its U.S. portfolio is already made without FD&C artificial dyes, but it plans to remove the dyes from the rest of its U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027. It pledged that all of its U.S. cereals and all K-12 school foods will be rid of the additives by summer 2026. General Mills didn’t specify which products were impacted aside from that, but its well-known cereal brands include Lucky Charms and Trix, which have artifical dyes listed on their labels.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIS | GENERAL MILLS INC. | 52.99 | +0.03 | +0.06% |
PepsiCo
PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said during an April 24 conference call that the company will reduce artificial ingredients and has already begun doing so. Laguarta cited examples such as Lay’s and Tostitos, which “will be out of artificial colors by the end of this year.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEP | PEPSICO INC. | 129.07 | 0.00 | 0.00% |
McCormick
McCormick, which manufactures and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavoring products, told analysts during its earnings call in March that it has been working with restaurants and foodmakers to reformulate products to remove certain ingredients like food dyes.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKC | MCCORMICK & CO. INC. | 73.06 | -0.14 | -0.19% |
In-N-Out
The fast food giant confirmed in a statement to FOX Business that it has already replaced artificial flavors and artificial vanilla with natural flavors in its shake mix, chocolate syrup and hot cocoa. It also replaced Yellow 5 with tumeric in chilies, pickles and spread and replaced Red 40 with beta-carotene and vegetable juice in certain shakes and drinks.
The company said it is still in the process of transitioning to ketchup made with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup and researching an “even better quality oil for our fries.”
