By DEE-ANN DURBIN
Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artificial colors from its U.S. food and beverages by the middle of 2026.
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It s the latest big food company making that pledge. General Mills and Kraft Heinz said this week that they will eliminate artificial dyes from their American products by 2027. Additionally, General Mills stated that by mid-2026, it intends to eliminate artificial dyes from all meals offered in K–12 schools as well as from its cereals produced in the United States.
The move has broad support. About two-thirds of Americans favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes, according to anAP-NORC poll. Both California and West Virginia have recently banned artificial dyes in foods served in schools.
On Sunday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texassigned a billrequiring foods made with artificial dyes or additives to contain a new safety label starting in 2027. According to the label, they include components that are not advised for human consumption in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, or the European Union.
The federal government is also stepping up its scrutiny of artificial colors. 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.
In April, Trump s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency wouldtake steps to eliminate synthetic dyesby the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry.
Nestle has pledged to remove artificial dyes before. By the end of 2015, the company promised to eliminate artificial colors and tastes from its goods. However, the promise was broken.
Nestle said Wednesday it s been removing synthetic dyes from its products over the last decade, and 90% of its U.S. portfolio doesn t contain them. Among those that do is Nesquik Banana Strawberry milk, which is made with Red 3.
Nestle said Wednesday it wants to evolve with its U.S. customers changing nutritional needs and preferences.
Serving and delighting people is at the heart of everything we do and every decision that we make, Nestle s U.S. CEO Marty Thompson said in a statement.
