Nestle has announced it will stop using artificial colours in all its U.S. food and beverage products by mid-2026.
The company made the disclosure on Wednesday, becoming the latest major food manufacturer to commit to phasing out synthetic dyes.
This comes just a week after Kraft Heinz and General Mills also said they would remove artificial dyes from their U.S. offerings by 2027. General Mills further pledged to eliminate such dyes from cereals and all foods served in K-12 schools by the middle of 2026.
The decision aligns with growing public support for cleaner ingredients in processed foods. An AP-NORC poll found that about two-thirds of Americans favour restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or synthetic dyes.
States such as California and West Virginia have already banned artificial dyes in school meals.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday signed a bill mandating that foods containing artificial dyes or additives must carry a safety warning label from 2027.
According to CBS News, the label will inform consumers that the ingredients are “not recommended for human consumption” in countries like Australia, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the U.S. federal government has also begun to tighten regulations. In January, just before President Trump assumed office, regulators banned the use of the dye Red 3 in food products, decades after it had been barred from cosmetics due to potential cancer risks.
In April, Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced the agency’s intention to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, primarily by encouraging voluntary compliance from food companies.
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Nestle previously pledged to remove artificial flavours and colours from its products by the end of 2015, but the effort was not fully realised.
However, the company said Wednesday that it has been reducing synthetic dyes in its products for over a decade, and that 90 per cent of its U.S. portfolio is now free of them. One of the remaining products still made with Red 3 is the Nesquik Banana Strawberry milk.
Explaining the renewed commitment, Nestle’s U.S. CEO Marty Thompson said: “We are always looking for different ways to offer great tasting, compelling choices for our consumers. As their diverse dietary preferences and nutritional needs evolve, we evolve with them.”
“Serving and delighting people is at the heart of everything we do and every decision that we make,” he added.
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