ORRVILLE, OHIO — The J.M. Smucker Co. plans to remove artificial colors from its products, joining a growing list of food and beverage manufacturers that includes Conagra Brands, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Kraft Heinz Co. and Nestle USA

Orrville-based J.M. Smucker plans to eliminate FD&C colors from its consumer food products by the end of 2027. The company said most of its foods already are free of FD&C colors, so the move primarily will impact its sugar-free fruit spreads and ice cream toppings as well as certain products in the Hostess portfolio.

In addition, J.M. Smucker said that while many of its products available to kindergarten-to-12th grade schools do not contain FD&C colors it plans to work with distribution partners to no longer sell products with FD&C colors by the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

“Throughout our 128-year history, we have successfully evolved our portfolio and product offerings based on shifts in consumer preferences,” said Mark Smucker, chief executive officer. “Our commitment to remove FD&C colors from our sugar-free fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, and sweet baked goods products represents the latest example of our desire to evolve and our ability to continue to innovate to deliver on the expectations of our consumers. Importantly, this work is ongoing, and we are consistently evaluating consumer behavior to ensure we are addressing any notable changes while maintaining our commitment to offer choice.”

This is not the first time J.M. Smucker has taken steps to alter its products to meet changing consumer preferences. In 2017, the company replaced high-fructose corn syrup with sugar in its line of Uncrustables sandwiches.

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