Dozens of U.S. ice cream producers are planning to remove artificial colors from their products by 2028, a dairy industry group and government officials said on Monday.
The producers, which together represent more than 90% of ice cream sold in the U.S., are the latest food companies to take voluntary steps to remove dyes since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April said the U.S. aimed to phase out many synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply.
Several major food manufacturers – including General Mills (GIS.N), Kraft Heinz, J.M. Smucker (SJM.N), Hershey (HSY.N) and Nestle USA (NESN.S) – have previously announced their plans to phase out synthetic food coloring.
The 40 ice cream companies will remove Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 from their retail products, excluding non-dairy products, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
The IDFA announced the plan at an event at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters on Monday with Kennedy, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“We know that our current health outcomes, especially for our children, are unsustainable and that American agriculture is at the heart of the solution to make America healthy again,” Rollins said at the event, referencing a slogan aligned with Kennedy.
Rollins and Kennedy have worked closely together on food sector efforts like encouraging states to ban soda from the nation’s largest food aid program.
Kennedy has blamed food dyes for rising rates of ADHD and cancer, an area many scientists say requires more research.
The IDFA said artificial dyes are safe, but that ice cream makers are taking the step in part to avoid disruption to sales from state efforts to phase out dyes from school foods and West Virginia’s recent food dye ban.
