By Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, June 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 Nestle has joined a growing list of major food companies pledging to voluntarily eliminate artificial colors from their U.S. products by the middle of next year amid mounting health concerns.<\/p>\n
“We are always looking for different ways to offer great tasting, compelling choices for our consumers,” Nestle’s U.S. CEO Marty Thompson<\/a> said in a statement. “As their diverse dietary preferences and nutritional needs evolve, we evolve with them.”<\/p>\n Nestle said 90% of its U.S. products already contain no synthetic dyes. The company has been removing them from its products for the past 10 years, it said in a statement.<\/p>\n Nestle\u2019s announcement dovetails with those of other major U.S. food companies.<\/p>\n Kraft Heinz and General Mills previously announced plans to remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027.<\/p>\n General Mills said it plans to remove synthetic dyes from its U.S. cereals and all foods served in K-12 schools by mid-2026, and J.M Smucker Co. said it intends to remove artificial colors from its products by the end of 2027, according to media reports.<\/p>\n Petroleum-based food dyes have been linked to a variety of health concerns, including allergies, cancer and behavioral changes.<\/p>\n They are synthetic color additives derived from crude oil and include artificial dyes such as Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Blue No. 1.<\/p>\n The recent moves follow decades of scrutiny.<\/p>\n In January, the U.S. government banned Red No. 3 from the nation\u2019s food supply, nearly 35 years after the dye was banned from cosmetics due to potential cancer risks.<\/p>\n U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> is among the strongest critics of these additives.<\/p>\n In April, he and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary<\/a> announced that the FDA is asking food companies to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of next year and substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a new epidemic of childhood diabetes, obesity, depression, and ADHD,” Makary said in a statement. “Given the growing concerns of doctors and parents about the potential role of petroleum-based food dyes, we should not be taking risks and do everything possible to safeguard the health of our children.”<\/p>\n About two-thirds of Americans support restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove added dyes, according to an AP-NORC poll cited by CBS News<\/em>.<\/p>\n Many states are taking this matter into their own hands.<\/p>\n California and West Virginia have recently banned artificial dyes in foods served in schools.<\/p>\n In late June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a> signed a bill requiring a new safety label on foods made with synthetic dyes or additives. The label will state that the products contain ingredients “not recommended for human consumption.”<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The Center for Science in the Public Interest tracks developments on regulation of food dyes and other health-related issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n