ARLINGTON. VA. — Add Nestle USA and Conagra Brands, Inc. to the list of companies removing artificial colors from their products in the United States. Earlier in June, the Kraft Heinz Co. and General Mills, Inc. said they would remove synthetic food dyes from their US portfolios.

Arlington-based Nestle USA plans to eliminate FD&C colors, including petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, from its US food and beverage portfolio by the middle of 2026. More than 90% of Nestle USA’s portfolio already does not include synthetic colors.

“Consumers enjoy a wide variety of foods and beverages as part of their daily diet,” said Marty Thompson, chief executive officer of Nestle USA. “They want choice and value shaped by a dynamic — and highly personal — combination of nutrition, quality, price and convenience.”

Nestle USA products that still contain synthetic colors include Nesquik banana strawberry low-fat ready-to-drink milk (Red No. 3) and Nesquik strawberry syrup (Red No. 40).

Chicago-based Conagra Brands plans to remove FD&C colors from its US frozen food product portfolio by the end of 2025 and to discontinue the use of FD&C colors in the manufacturing across its US retail portfolio by the end of 2027. The company also will not offer products with FD&C colors to kindergarten-to-12th grade schools by the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

“Conagra Brands is known for innovating delicious, on-trend foods, and our transition away from FD&C colors is just one aspect of our broader strategy to modernize our portfolio to align with consumer preferences,” said Tom McGough, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Conagra Brands. “Our leading portfolio of frozen brands, including Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s and more, will be 100% free from FD&C colors by the end of 2025.”

Conagra products that still contain artificial colors include Duncan Hines strawberries and cream frosting (Red No. 40 lake and Yellow No. 5), Duncan Hines Dolly Parton’s strawberry flavored cake mix (Red No. 40 lake) and Duncan Hines Cinnabon bakery-inspired muffin kit (Yellow No. 5 lake.)

The US Food and Drug Administration on April 22 announced it intends to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply by the end of 2026.