Tyson Foods Will Eliminate Artificial Dyes by the End of the Month

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich and Hillshire Farm have decided to eliminate artificial dyes following pressure from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to remove such dyes from the American food supply.

“As a leader in protein, none of the products we offer through school nutrition programs contain synthetic oil-based dyes,” stated Donnie King, president and CEO of Tyson Foods, during Monday’s revenue call.

King mentioned that most of their products, like chicken nuggets, do not use these dyes, and they are reorganizing the few products that do.

“We expect to finish eliminating petroleum-based synthetic dyes from our production by the end of May,” he added.

PepsiCo announced that snacks such as Rays and Tostitos will also be free from artificial colors by the end of this year.

Kennedy emphasized the necessity of removing oil-based synthetic dyes from U.S. food products in a statement:

For too long, certain food manufacturers have exposed Americans to oil-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent. These harmful compounds offer no nutritional value and present genuine risks to the health and development of children. This era is coming to an end. We are working to restore scientific standards, apply common sense, and rebuild public trust. We achieve this by collaborating with the industry to eliminate these harmful dyes from foods that our families consume daily.

A press release from HHS detailed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will take six specific steps:

1. Establish national standards and timelines for transitioning from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives.
2. Initiate the process to revoke permission for two synthetic food coloring agents, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, in the coming months.
3. Work with the industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes—FD&C Green 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2—from the food supply by the end of next year.
4. Approve four new natural color additives in the upcoming weeks, with an emphasis on speeding up reviews and approvals.
5. Collaborate with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a comprehensive study on how food additives impact children’s health and development.
6. Request food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 ahead of the 2027-2028 deadline.

“Today, the FDA is urging food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes for natural ingredients for American children, similar to what is already done in Europe and Canada,” remarked Marty McCurry, a member of the FDA committee.

This initiative has gained bipartisan support from Senators Cynthia Ramis (R-WY) and Corey Booker (D-NJ).