(Reuters) -Packaged food makers in the U.S. have rolled out plans to eliminate the use of FD&C colors - a category of synthetic dyes - from their products, responding to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again initiative and changing consumer preferences.    In April, Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency aims to remove artificial food colors from the food supply against the backdrop of mounting concerns about their potential links to health issues such as ADHD, obesity and diabetes.     Here are the companies that are preparing to eliminate synthetic dyes from their food products in the U.S.:

Company Comment Target

Year

Mars To In 2026

introduce products

made

without artificial

colors that will be

available in the

U.S. across its

gum, fruity

confection and

chocolate candy

categories from

brands including

Extra, Skittles,

Starburst and

M&M's.

Hershey Plans to remove End of 2027

synthetic dyes from

snacks.

J.M. Smucker Smucker said it End of 2027

would remove

synthetic food

colors from all

consumer food

products, and that

it is working to

stop selling

products with

synthetic dyes to

K-12 schools by the

2026-2027 school

year.

Conagra Brands ( CAG ) Will remove End of 2027

synthetic dyes from

U.S. frozen product

portfolio and

eliminate using

artificial colors

in food served to

K-12 schools by

2026-27.

Nestlé USA To fully eliminate Mid-2026

synthetic food

colors from its

U.S. food and

beverage portfolio.

Over 90% of current

categories already

dye-free, the

company said.

General Mills Cheerios maker will End of 2027

remove artificial

colors from its

entire U.S. retail

business and

eliminate the use

of synthetic dyes

from all its U.S.

cereals and foods

served in K-12

schools by summer

2026.

Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) Will End of 2027

not launch new

products with

artificial colors

in the U.S. and

aims to eliminate

synthetic dyes from

existing items.

Sam's Club Walmart ( WMT )-owned Sam's End of 2025

Club will eliminate

over 40

ingredients,

including

artificial colors

and aspartame, from

private label brand

Member's Mark.

Tyson Foods ( TSN ) Company said it End of May, 2025

would reformulate

food products

containing

petroleum-based

synthetic dyes.

WK Kellogg Will By the end of 2027

remove FD&C colors

from foods that

contain them by the

end of 2027, and

will not launch new

products with the

colors from January

2026.

Reformulating

cereals served in

schools to exclude

synthetic dyes.

PepsiCo ( PEP ) Will remove By next couple of

artificial colors years

from K-12 schools

food portfolio,

starting this

upcoming school

season. To migrate

the portfolio to

natural colors or

at least provide

the consumer with

natural color

options.

Kellanova     On track to remove By December 31,

synthetic colors 2027

from U.S. K-12  

foods within the  

2026/27 school year  

and from retail

foods by 2027-end

Campbell's Co   Will eliminate all By mid- 2026

FD&C colors from

its food and

beverage products

in second half of

fiscal year 2026

(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry, Neil J Kanatt, Savyata Mishra and Anshi Sancheti in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)