Dive Brief:
- Tyson Foods pledged to stop using high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients targeted by the "Make America Healthy Again" movement by the end of the year.
- The meat processing giant will eliminate corn syrup, sucralose, BHA/BHT and titanium dioxide from Tyson, Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm, among other brands.
- Earlier this year, Tyson removed artificial dyes from its U.S. products following pressure from the Trump administration.
Dive Insight:
Tyson is removing ingredients associated with ultraprocessed foods as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the FDA have announced plans to revisit approval of chemical additives.
The agency is either revisiting or accelerating the evaluation of ingredients including BHA/BHT and titanium dioxide. The FDA also said it would determine other potential chemicals to revisit in part based on which ingredients are "of high public concern."
Kennedy has previously criticized high-fructose corn syrup as “a formula for making you obese and diabetic,” prompting a response from some companies.
In July, Coca-Cola announced plans to launch a version of its namesake soda this fall made with U.S. cane sugar. Most of its signature Coke offering, however, will continue to be made with high fructose corn syrup.
Kennedy’s focus in recent months has largely been centered on pushing food companies to remove artificial colors from their products. So far, many of the largest manufacturers in the space have responded by pledging to remove synthetic dyes before a voluntary 2027 deadline set by the FDA. Tyson, which said it removed artificial colors in May, is now going a step further to position itself as a leader in the movement to reformulate.
“We continuously review and assess our product portfolio to ensure the highest quality products that meet the needs of consumers,” Donnie King, Tyson president and CEO, said in a statement.
The ingredients targeted by Tyson for removal are used in industrial food manufacturing to provide sweetness or shelf life, but they have also been linked to negative health outcomes. BHA/BHT has been connected to either cancer or hormonal disruption in rats, while titanium dioxide is associated with neurotoxicity.
