Hershey announced plans on Monday to remove synthetic food dyes from its snack and candy products by the end of 2027, aligning with efforts by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to clean up the country’s food supply.
The Pennsylvania-based candy giant confirmed the move in a statement reported by Bloomberg, saying it would eliminate artificial dyes such as Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1.
The additives have come under scrutiny in recent years for their potential negative health effects, especially on children.
“There is a patchwork of state regulations emerging that is creating confusion and will ultimately increase consumer costs,” a company representative said.
The person added, “Removing these colors is a natural next step in our program to ensure consumers have options to fit their lifestyle while maintaining trust and confidence in our products.”
Hershey’s announcement comes as Kennedy, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead HHS earlier this year, ramps up his push to ban synthetic chemicals from the U.S. food system.
Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary unveiled a plan in April to phase out eight petroleum‑based food dyes from America’s processed food and medication supply, ABC News reported.
At the time, Kennedy called the use of food dyes in American food “egregious.”
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He told CBS News, “They’re clearly associated with a variety a grim inventory of diseases, including cancers and behavioral disease and neurological disease like ADHD, and it’s very, very well-documented, and they’re making, in many cases, the same products in this country have those dyes, and then they use vegetable dyes in Canada, Mexico and Europe.”
The HHS secretary also accused America’s food industry of putting consumers second.
“The FDA became captured by the food industry, and they enlarged the GRAS standard to apply to everything, and that’s why we have 10,000 ingredients in our food and the Europeans only have 400 in theirs,” he told CBS.
Kennedy concluded, “Because in Europe, before you add something, a chemical, to a food, you gotta prove that it’s safe. In our country, it is rubber-stamped.”
Hershey joins a growing list of companies responding to mounting pressure from the administration and from health-conscious consumers.
Nestlé announced last week it would remove artificial colors from its American products by 2026.
Hershey did not specify which brands would be affected, but its portfolio includes Reese’s, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, and Twizzlers.
The company and Nestlé join a growing number of companies, including Kraft Heinz Co. and General Mills, that have vowed to discontinue the use of food dyes in the coming years.
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