Conagra Brands, Inc., announced on June 25 that it will reach “an important milestone” in its portfolio modernization strategy by completing the removal of certified Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors from its U.S. frozen product portfolio by the end of 2025. 

The 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, adding, "Our leading portfolio of frozen brands—including Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, and more—will be 100 percent free from FD&C colors by the end of 2025."

Additionally, Conagra will continue its portfolio modernization efforts across its full U.S. retail portfolio and will not offer products with FD&C colors sold to K-12 schools by the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year. The company is also working to discontinue the use of FD&C colors in the manufacturing of products across its U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.

String of Similar Announcements

Conagra’s announcement came on the same day that Nestlé USA announced that it would fully eliminate FD&C colors in its U.S. food and beverage portfolio by mid-2026. 

General Mills on June 17 announced plans to remove certified colors from all its U.S. cereals and all K-12 school foods by summer 2026. Additionally, the company will work to remove certified colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.

The General Mills announcement came on the same day that The Kraft Heinz Company announced it will not launch any new products in the U.S. with FD&C colors, effective immediately. 

Companies such as Tyson Foods and Mars have announced similar moves as the Trump Administration prioritizes phasing out synthetic dyes from the U.S. food supply and scrutinizes food additives generally.

As reported by Food Safety Magazine, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a press conference in April announcing their intent to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply. The agencies described the action as a “major step forward” in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, popularized by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and adopted by the Trump Administration.