Dive Brief:
- Conagra Brands said it will remove artificial colors from its U.S. frozen portfolio by the end of this year, joining other food giants in a pledge to transition to natural-based ingredients.
- The Slim Jim and Healthy Choice manufacturer will also discontinue the use of synthetic dyes in the manufacturing of products across its U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027. Conagra said it would not sell products with synthetic colors to K-12 schools by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
- Conagra is the fourth major food company in the last week — joining General Mills, Kraft Heinz and Nestlé — to announce plans to end its use of artificial dyes. Manufacturers are quickly announcing changes as the White House takes a stand against ultraprocessed foods and ingredients.
Dive Insight:
Kraft Heinz last week committed to fully removing synthetic dyes from its portfolio early last week, opening the floodgates for some of its food competitors to quickly do the same.
Conagra didn’t provide specifics on how much of its frozen or snack portfolio still has artificial dyes. The six-month timeline to remove dyes from its frozen lineup, which includes Birds Eye, Healthy Choice and Marie Callender's, indicates it probably has minimal work left to do.
The company's late 2027 deadline for its retail portfolio provides some evidence that the transition in snacks could take time. Brands, such as Snack Pack pudding, still use the colorings in some products.
"Conagra Brands is known for innovating delicious, on-trend foods, and our transition away from [food, drug and cosmetic colors] is just one aspect of our broader strategy to modernize our portfolio to align with consumer preferences," Tom McGough, Conagra‘s chief operating officer, said in a statement.
The move to replace synthetic dyes comes as the Trump administration pushes companies to remove them from the country’s food supply. In April, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the industry to voluntarily remove six synthetic dyes by 2027.
