June 30 (Reuters) - Hershey Co ( HSY ) will remove

synthetic dyes from its snacks by the end of 2027, Bloomberg

News reported on Monday, making it the latest in a growing list

of companies seeking to align with directives from U.S. health

authorities.

In April, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA

Commissioner Marty Makary rolled out plans to remove synthetic

food dyes from the U.S. food supply to address health conditions

such as ADHD, obesity and diabetes.

"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

spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Hershey did

not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside

regular business hours.

Hershey's snack brands include Dot's Homestyle Pretzels,

SKINNYPOP popcorn and FULFIL protein bars.

Several firms, including W.K. Kellogg ( KLG ), Tyson Foods ( TSN )

, Conagra Brands ( CAG ), Nestle USA and General Mills ( GIS )

have been actively reformulating their product portfolio

to exclude artificial colors and are introducing new items free

of synthetic dyes.