Nestle, Other Food Companies Vow to Ban Artificial Colors

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Nestle has joined a growing list of major food companies pledging to voluntarily eliminate artificial colors from their U.S. products by the middle of next year amid mounting health concerns.

Nestle said 90% of its U.S. products already contain no synthetic dyes. The company has been removing them from its products for the past 10 years, it said in a statement.

Nestle’s announcement dovetails with those of other major U.S. food companies.

Kraft Heinz and General Mills previously announced plans to remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027.

General Mills said it plans to remove synthetic dyes from its U.S. cereals and all foods served in K-12 schools by mid-2026, and J.M Smucker Co. said it intends to remove artificial colors from its products by the end of 2027, according to media reports.

Petroleum-based food dyes have been linked to a variety of health concerns, including allergies, cancer and behavioral changes.

They are synthetic color additives derived from crude oil and include artificial dyes such as Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Blue No. 1.

The recent moves follow decades of scrutiny.

In January, the U.S. government banned Red No. 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after the dye was banned from cosmetics due to potential cancer risks.

Source: HealthDay
https://www.healthday.com/health-news/allergies/nestle-other-food-companies-vow-to-ban-artificial-colors