Nestle USA to phase out use of synthetic food colors by mid-2026

June 25 (Reuters) - Nestle USA NESN.S said on Wednesday that it would fully eliminate synthetic food colors from its U.S. food and beverage portfolio by mid-2026.

The DiGiorno pizza maker said that the transition will be completed within the next 12 months, adding that more than 90% of its current categories already do not contain synthetic colors.

The move comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rolled out plans to remove synthetic food dyes from the U.S. food supply to address health conditions such as ADHD, obesity and diabetes.

Nestle USA joined peers such as Conagra Brands CAG.N and General Mills GIS.N in removing artificial food colors from their products.

Conagra Brands said on Wednesday it would remove synthetic colors from its U.S. frozen products by the end of this year and would stop selling products with artificial colors to K-12 schools by 2026-2027.

Earlier this month, General Mills announced plans to remove artificial colors from its entire U.S. retail business, including cereals and foods served in K-12 schools, by the summer of 2026.

Kraft Heinz KHC.O has also said it would stop launching new products containing artificial colors in the United States and plans to eliminate synthetic dyes from existing items by the end of 2027.

Several packaged food companies, including W.K. Kellogg KLG.N and Tyson Foods TSN.N, have been actively reformulating their products to exclude artificial colors and introducing new items free of synthetic dyes.