CHICAGO, June 19, 2025 — Food-away-from-home giants Kraft Heinz and General Mills both pledged Tuesday to complete the elimination of artificial dyes from all their products.
Kraft Heinz said it would complete the removal by 2027. General Mills promised to remove man-made colorings from its K-12 products and the cereals it supplies to both foodservices and supermarkets by the summer of 2026 and from the rest of its product line by 2027.
Kraft Heinz, the producer of such products as Lunchables, Oscar Meyer cold cuts and Jell-O, said it will also not formulate any new products containing artificial coloring agents, which U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to remove from the U.S. food supply.
Kraft Heinz and General Mills are the first food manufacturers of scale to announce that they will abide by the Secretary’s request.
Kraft Heinz indicated that it has already eliminated the dyes from 90% of the foods in its large product portfolio. Man-made dyes will be removed from the other products through substitutions, recasting the products with new colors that can be produced with natural dyes, and the removal of any coloring agent altogether, the company said.
General Mills said 85% of its products are already produced without petroleum-based dyes. Only a small portion of its cereal line is still artificially colored, the company added.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.
Cover image courtesy: Closed Loop Project