As part of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative, major food companies and retailers across the U.S. are racing to eliminate synthetic ingredients, such as artificial dyes, flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners, from their products.
Here are some of the most significant announcements so far:
Major food brands
- Danone North America: Known for its dairy and yogurt products such as Light & Fit and YoCrunch, Danone plans to remove all artificial dyes from its U.S. products, CEO Shane Grant said in an interview, Reuters reported in May. The company has not issued a press release regarding its plans.
- PepsiCo: The company will phase out artificial colors from Lay’s and Tostitos and transition its entire portfolio to natural colors, according to a July Reuters report.
- Tyson Foods: Tyson has already eliminated synthetic dyes from its production process, and it has pledged “to stop using High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sucralose, BHA/BHT and Titanium Dioxide” in U.S. branded products by the end of 2025.
- Kraft Heinz: In June, Kraft Heinz announced it will no longer launch new U.S. products with artificial Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors, and it will phase out existing synthetic dyes by the end of 2027.
- General Mills: Also in June, the company announced it will remove petroleum-based dyes from all U.S. cereals and K-12 foods offerings by summer 2026.
- Nestlé USA: In June, Nestlé said it was releasing a “timeline to fully eliminate FD&C colors in its U.S. food and beverage portfolio by mid-2026.”
- Conagra Brands: Conagra plans to eliminate all artificial colors from its U.S. frozen foods by the end of 2025.
- J.M. Smucker Co.: Smucker committed to removing all artificial colors from consumer food products by the end of 2027 and to ensure all foods sold to K-12 schools are dye-free by the 2026-2027 school year.
- Campbell Soup Company: In September, Campbell announced plans to remove all artificial colors from its food and beverage products by mid-2026.
- Kellogg’s (WK Kellogg Co. and Kellanova): Both post-split companies pledged to remove dyes from Kellogg’s products by the end of 2027 and ensure all foods sold to schools are dye-free by the 2026-2027 school year. WK Kellogg Co. sells cereal products, including Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, while Kellanova produces snacks such as Pop-Tarts, Pringles, and Cheez-It.
- Mars, Incorporated: The maker of M&M’s, Skittles, Starburst, Extra gum, etc., said it will continue rolling out products made without artificial colors, introducing four new options in 2026.
- Hershey Co.: Bloomberg News reported that Hershey intends to remove synthetic dyes from its U.S. products by the end of 2027, though the chocolate giant has not yet issued a public statement.
Retailers and private labels
- Sam’s Club: In June, the retailer announced that it will eliminate more than 40 ingredients — including artificial dyes and the artificial sweetener aspartame — from its Member’s Mark brand by the end of 2026.
- Walmart U.S.: On Oct. 1, Walmart announced plans to phase out a long list of synthetic dyes, artificial sweeteners, and fat substitutes from its several lines of store-brand foods.
Restaurants and food chains
- In-N-Out Burger: In May, the fast food chain announced that it would no longer use food dyes or artificial flavors in its products, ABC News reported. The company also said it would switch to ketchup made with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.
- Steak ‘n Shake: This fast food chain announced in March that its locations “will be RFK’d,” switching to 100% beef tallow for frying instead of seed oils.
Industry groups and associations
- International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA): Representing more than 90% of U.S. ice cream sales, IDFA has pledged to remove seven artificial food dyes from its products by 2028, including Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6.
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