Nestlé, Conagra to Remove Synthetic Colors From US Products

Nestlé USA intends to “fully eliminate” synthetic colors from its U.S. food and beverage portfolio by the middle of next year, the company said in a June 25 statement.

“Over the last decade, the company has been actively removing synthetic colors from its products and working to identify alternative solutions in recipes where they are still used,” the company said, adding that more than 90 percent of Nestlé USA’s current portfolio does not contain such colors.

“This effort is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to provide consumers with a range of high-quality, nutritious foods and beverages that reflect the diversity and choices that they want.”

Specifically, Nestlé is eliminating the use of FD&C colors, which are seven color additives approved for use in foods by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FD&C refers to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

The company noted that more than 90 percent of Nestlé USA’s current portfolio does not include synthetic colors.

In addition to Nestlé, Conagra Brands Inc., one of the leading branded food companies in North America, announced on June 25 that it planned to complete the removal of food colors from its U.S. frozen product portfolio by the end of this year. Popular brands that come under Conagra include Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, and Marie Callender’s.

“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, CEO of the company.

Conagra will not offer products with FD&C colors to K–12 schools by the start of the 2026/27 school year. The company is working to discontinue its use in the U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. welcomed the decision of the two companies in a June 26 post on social media platform X.

“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,” he wrote.

Nestlé and Conagra’s decisions follow the Department of Health and Human Services and FDA’s April 22 announcement about phasing out petroleum-based dyes from America’s food supply.

Synthetic Dyes in Food

According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on June 24, the researchers found that synthetic dyes were present in 19 percent of packaged food products in the United States.

Roughly one in five packaged food items and beverages sold in the United States had food colors, representing more than $46 billion in consumer purchases in 2020.

“Given the accumulation of evidence over the last 40 years pointing to the health harms of synthetic dyes, it’s disappointing to see that they’re still so prevalent in our food system, particularly in products that are designed to appeal to children,” said Dr. Elizabeth Dunford, research fellow at The George Institute and adjunct assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina.

“The high levels of sugar in these brightly colored products suggests that companies are using synthetic dyes to market sweet foods and beverages, but both ingredients are linked to poor health outcomes.”

The FDA initiated a process to revoke authorization for two food colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B—and requested food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 earlier than the previous 2027/28 deadline, according to the announcement. The agency was also working with the industry to eliminate six synthetic dyes from the food supply by the end of 2026, the announcement said.

“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” Kennedy. said at the time.

“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.

“That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust. And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”

Many other food companies have also announced removing synthetic colors from their products.

Earlier this month, Sam’s Club, for example, announced plans to eliminate more than 40 ingredients from its private-label brand Member’s Mark by year-end, including artificial colors. On June 17, Kraft Heinz said it would get rid of the artificial colors from its portfolio by the end of 2027.