Ice cream makers pledge to remove artificial colours by 2028

US ice cream makers are planning to eliminate a number of artificial colours from their products by 2028, representing another milestone for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his push to remove the additives from the nation’s food.

A group of 40 producers, which collectively make more than 90% of the ice cream sold in the US by volume, have pledged to voluntarily remove Red No. 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 by the end of 2027, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. The commitment will be announced later Monday at the US Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I am proud of ice cream makers and dairy foods companies for stepping up for American families by making this voluntary commitment to provide ice cream and frozen dairy treats without certified artificial colours,” said Micheal Dykes, chief executive officer of the dairy trade group.

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Kennedy has made removing synthetic dyes from US food one of his top priorities and said earlier this year he would work with food producers to phase out the use of a handful of such colours. Companies are also facing the challenge of complying with new laws in some states that will restrict certain colours and ingredients.

Many big food companies, including Conagra Brands Inc., Nestle SA, Kraft Heinz Co. and General Mills Inc. have pledged to remove synthetic dyes from large swaths of their food.

Dairy food companies vowed in April to eliminate certain artificial colours from milk, cheese and yogurt products sold to schools by July 2026.

Companies adhere to FDA request

“We applaud this industry-led commitment to remove harmful artificial dyes,” an HHS spokesperson said Monday. “It’s a strong step toward aligning our food system with what science and common sense have long made clear.”

The latest ice cream pledge applies to products made with real milk and sold at supermarkets, convenience stores and online retailers, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. It doesn’t apply to products made with non-dairy ingredients, small ice cream shops or restaurants making their own ice cream.

Many companies have already eliminated certain artificial colours and others may phase them out before 2028, the trade group said.

Producers such as Turkey Hill and Schwoeppe Dairy, part of the Prairie Farms Dairy cooperative family, were among the companies signing onto the pledge.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved the use of gardenia to colour foods blue, the fourth colour derived from natural sources the FDA has given the green light in the last two months. The FDA already publicly asked manufacturers to speed the removal of Red No. 3 in April.

© 2025 Bloomberg

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