On Wednesday, the food giants Nestle and Conagra Brands announced their intention to remove artificial coloring from their products in the United States in the coming months.
The parent company of Duncan Hines, Slim Jim, and other brands, Conagra, located in Chicago, said that it will eliminate artificial coloring from its frozen goods by the end of this year and aim to stop using artificial dyes in all of its products by the end of 2027. Marie Callender’s, Healthy Choice, and Birds Eye are among Conagra’s frozen brands.
By mid-2026, Nestle plans to eliminate artificial coloring from its food and beverages in the United States.
Heinzand KraftEarlier this month, General Mills made similar promises.
In recent months, the federal government has increased its examination of artificial coloring. Nearly 35 years after the dye Red 3 was prohibited from cosmetics due to possible cancer risks, U.S. regulators banned it from the country’s food supply in January, just days before President Donald Trump took office.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in April that the FDA would begin action to ban synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, primarily through voluntary efforts by the food industry.
Conagra announced that by the start of the 2026–2027 academic year, it will no longer sell goods with artificial coloring to K–12 institutions.
The use of natural dyes is already a feature of many Conagra products. Conagra notes that turmeric, not the artificial Yellow 5, is used to color a jar of Vlasic kosher pickle spears. Conagra employs annatto, a plant extract, to give its Orville Redenbacher popcorn and frozen vegetable sides their cheesy color.
However, some of Conagra’s products continue to use artificial coloring. Duncan Hines, County of Comstock For instance, its Creamy Strawberries n Cream Frosting uses both Red 40 and Yellow 5, while its Cherry Pie Filling includes Red 40. The ingredients of Conagra’s Swiss Miss Butterscotch pudding are Blue 1, Red 40, and Yellow 6.
Nestle had previously promised to phase out artificial colors. By the end of 2015, the company promised to eliminate artificial colors and tastes from its goods. However, the promise was broken.
Nestle announced on Wednesday that 90% of its goods in the United States are free of synthetic colors, which it has been eliminating from its products over the past ten years. Nesquik Banana Strawberry milk, which contains Red 3, is one of many that does.
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Two more food conglomerates say they’ll phase out artificial dyes
Two more food conglomerates say they’ll phase out artificial dyes
Two more food conglomerates say they’ll phase out artificial dyes