More Brands Pledge to Remove Artificial Dyes

J.M. Smucker and Conagra Brands will stop selling products with synthetic dyes by the 2026-2027 school year.

June 30, 2025

J.M. Smucker and Conagra Brands both announced they will be removing the use of artificial dyes in their products last week.

“J.M. Smucker said on Thursday it would remove synthetic food colors from all consumer food products by the end of 2027. The company said this move would impact its sugar-free fruit spreads, ice cream toppings as well as some sweet baked goods from its Hostess brand portfolio,” reported Reuters.

J.M. Smucker reportedly said the majority of its products currently available to K-12 schools do not contain any artificial colors and the company is working with distribution partners to stop selling products with synthetic dyes to K-12 schools by the 2026-2027 school year.

Meanwhile Conagra also said it won’t offer products containing artificial colors to K-12 schools by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, and it will work to discontinue artificial dyes across its entire portfolio by the end of 2027, reported the Associated Press.

“Many of Conagra’s products already make a point of using natural dyes. On a jar of Vlasic kosher pickle spears, Conagra notes that they’re colored with turmeric, not the synthetic Yellow 5. For the cheesy color in its frozen vegetable sides or its Orville Redenbacher popcorn, Conagra uses annatto, a plant extract,” wrote AP.

Earlier this month, Kraft Heinz announced it will begin removing artificial dyes from its domestic products beginning in 2027.

Meanwhile in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation that requires warning labels on food and beverage packages containing 44 common dyes or additives.

“When a state as big as Texas requires a warning, that will have an impact on the entire marketplace. No question,” said Scott Faber, a senior vice president at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocating for stronger food safety policies.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced “a series of new measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply” in April of this year.