Kraft Heinz and General Mills to remove FD&C colors from product portfolios

Major food corporations are beginning to make significant updates to their product lines. The Kraft Heinz Company announced in a recent press release1, that the enterprise would not be releasing any new products within the US with Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors. Current products on the market will have FD&C colors removed from their labels before end of year 2027. The press release disclosed that 90% of Kraft Heinz’s US products no longer include FD&C colors. Only a limited number of items still currently have FD&C coloring.

Similarly, General Mills announced in a recent press release² that the organization has it on their agenda to remove certified colors from all of their cereals in the U.S., as well as all K-12 school foods by the summer of 2026. General Mills announced in a recent press release By the end of 2027, General Mills plans to remove all certified colors from their full US retail portfolio.

In the press release², General Mills mentioned that only a small amount of their K-12 school portfolio may include certified colors. Most school products are now made without such coloring. 85% of the company’s full US retail portfolio does not contain certified colors.²

The Kraft Heinz Company is establishing a “three-pronged approach” (3Rs) to handling the ingredient changes:¹

• Removing colors where it is not critical to the consumer experience; or
• Replacing FD&C colors with natural colors; or
• Reinventing new colors and shades where matching natural replacements are not available.

“As a food company with a 150+ year heritage, we are continuously evolving our recipes, products, and portfolio to deliver superiority to consumers and customers,” said Pedro Navio, North America President at Kraft Heinz.¹ “The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C colors across the remainder of our portfolio. In fact, we removed artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors from our beloved Kraft Mac & Cheese back in 2016. Our iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup has never had artificial dyes – the red color comes simply from the world’s best tomatoes. Above all, we are focused on providing nutritious, affordable, and great-tasting food for Americans and this is a privilege we don’t take lightly.”

“Across the long arc of our history, General Mills has moved quickly to meet evolving consumer needs, and reformulating our product portfolio to remove certified colors is yet another example,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO, General Mills.² “Today, the vast majority of our foods are made without certified colors and we’re working to ensure that will soon apply to our full portfolio. Knowing the trust families place in us, we are leading the way on removing certified colors in cereals and K-12 foods by next summer. We’re committed to continuing to make food that tastes great and is accessible to all.”

The move by the company to remove FD&C colors is in response to an April 2025 announcement from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that petroleum-based synthetic dyes would be phased out through a series of measures.³

“The FDA is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, in the press release.³ “We have a new epidemic of childhood diabetes, obesity, depression, and ADHD. Given the growing concerns of doctors and parents about the potential role of petroleum-based food dyes, we should not be taking risks and do everything possible to safeguard the health of our children.”

Consumers are becoming more conscious of what goes into their food and how those choices effect their overall health.⁴ Companies are now looking to make updates to their product portfolios based on these changes in consumer trends.

References

1. Kraft Heinz commits to remove FD&C colors from its U.S. portfolio before the end of 2027 and will not launch new products in the U.S. with FD&C colors, effective immediately https://news.kraftheinzcompany.com/press-releases-details/2025/Kraft-Heinz-Commits-to-Remove-FDC-Colors-From-Its-U-S--Portfolio-Before-the-End-of-2027-and-Will-Not-Launch-New-Products-in-the-U-S--With-FDC-Colors-Effective-Immediately/default.aspx (accessed Jun 19, 2025).
2. General Mills announces plans to remove certified colors from all U.S. cereals and all K-12 foods by Summer 2026 https://www.generalmills.com/news/press-releases/general-mills-announces-plans-to-remove-certified-colors (accessed Jun 19, 2025).
3. McEvoy, E. FDA and HHS announce plans to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/fda-and-hhs-announce-plans-to-phase-out-petroleum-based-synthetic-food-dyes (accessed Jun 19, 2025).
4. Daniels, L. Consumer healthy eating trends: The impact behind it https://tastewise.io/blog/consumer-healthy-eating-trends (accessed Jun 19, 2025).