Headline Roundup • July 2nd, 2025
Food Industry Giants Pledge to Phase Out Synthetic Dyes
Summary from the AllSides News Team
As Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement have moved to limit the use of food dyes, media across the spectrum have reported on the state of the effort.
For Context: In April, Kennedy and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary requested food companies to phase out petroleum-based synthetics, including food dyes.
From The Right: A July 2 report from The Washington Examiner (Lean Right) noted that more than 10 of the largest US food companies, including Hershey and Smuckers, have pledged to voluntarily remove food dyes and other additives from their products. The Examiner highlighted several other companies that made the pledge, including Starbucks, In-N-Out Burger, Nestlé, General Mills, Sam’s Club, and more.
From The Left: On June 26, CNN (Lean Left) highlighted the movement to phase out food dyes but added that it's “important for policymakers and the public to remember that dyes are just one component of highly engineered ultraprocessed foods.” Dr. Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at the New York University School of Global Public Health, told CNN that “removing synthetic food dyes does not automatically transform the products into healthy foods or beverages.” CNN also highlighted a recent study that found food products with synthetic dyes contained an average of 141% more total sugar compared to products without dyes, but less sodium and saturated fat.
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In the crusade to reduce chronic disease and neurobehavioral issues in the United States, synthetic food dyes are a hot target.
California began paving the way for legislation against petroleum-based synthetic dyes a few years ago, based on health concerns including a potentially increased risk of cancer and neurobehavioral issues in children and animals. Gov. Gavin Newsom banned red dye No. 3 in 2023 and six other common dyes from school foods in 2024. Since then, 25 other states have followed in California’s footsteps with legislation — some signed into law, others still in progress — that would either ban, restrict or require labels...
More than 10 of the largest food corporations in the United States have pledged to remove artificial food dyes and other additives voluntarily. The moves come after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request in April for companies to phase out petroleum-based synthetics from the food supply.
The Hershey Company, maker of Reese’s, Jolly Rancher, and SkinnyPop, is the most recent food manufacturer to join the contingent, announcing Monday its plan to phase out artificial dyes by 2027. The J.M. Smuckers Company, the jelly-maker, announced similar plans last week.
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