The food and beverage company Nestl\u00e9 announced on Thursday that it has fully removed synthetic dyes from all its U.S. products, a move applauded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has called on companies nationwide to remove certain dyes from their products.<\/p>\n
Nestl\u00e9 USA\u2019s CEO Marty Thompson said in a statement announcing the change, \u201cIn the products where these ingredients were previously used,\u00a0we removed or replaced them with alternatives\u2014while maintaining the quality, taste and experience consumers expect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to the update on social media, Kennedy wrote: \u201cThank you, @Nestle, for eliminating synthetic dyes from your products. Nestl\u00e9 stepped up and delivered. Now it\u2019s time for every food company operating in America to do the same and help Make America Healthy Again.\u201d<\/p>\n
In April 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an initiative to phase out petroleum-based food dyes\u2014known as food, drug and cosmetic dyes (FD&C dyes)\u2014from the American food supply, a key pillar of Kennedy\u2019s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Nestl\u00e9 told Newsweek, \u201cWe know\u00a0more\u00a0consumers are looking for products made with simpler ingredients, including fewer artificial colors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPurposefully\u00a0simplifying\u00a0many of our recipes\u00a0is one way\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0evolving\u00a0our portfolio to meet those\u00a0preferences\u2014while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0the taste, quality and experience consumers expect\u00a0when they enjoy our food and beverages,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n
Newsweek contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for comment via email outside regular working hours.<\/p>\n
What Are FD&C Dyes?<\/p>\n
FD&C dyes are synthetic color additives that the FDA previously approved for use in food, drugs and cosmetics. They are primarily sourced from petroleum-based ingredients and designed to enhance the visual appeal of products, making them more attractive to consumers.<\/p>\n
However, after Kennedy pledged to \u201chelp make America healthy again\u201d and protect Americans from \u201charmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products and food additives,\u201d the FDA set out to get the dyes Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2 banned, as well as revoking authorization for FD&C Red No. 3.<\/p>\n
The agency is working with companies to get another six certified color additives frequently used in the food supply eliminated by the end of 2027: FD&C Green No. 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. In place of these dyes, the FDA has authorized four new natural color additives.<\/p>\n
Kennedy and other Trump administration officials have said these dyes\u2014which have no nutritional benefit\u2014may be contributing to the rise in childhood diabetes, obesity, depression and attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).<\/p>\n
In 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found<\/a>, as did a subsequent 2022 review<\/a>, that certain synthetic food dyes were associated with inattentiveness<\/a>, hyperactivity and restlessness in children. In animal-based studies, some of the dyes were also found to have carcinogenic properties, including Citrus Red No. 2, Orange B, Green No. 3 and Blue No. 2.<\/p>\n
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