The Companies That Already Caved

Most of the conversation about food dye reform focuses on what’s coming — the 2026 phase-out target, the 2027 deadlines, the 2028 dairy commitment. But while everyone’s watching the future, a number of major brands have already pulled the trigger. They’ve done the work, made the changes, and put dye-free products on the shelf right now.

These are the companies that aren’t waiting. Knowing who they are matters — because every dollar you spend at one of them is a vote for the kind of food system we want to live in.

Tyson Foods: First Across the Finish Line

Tyson Foods committed to eliminating synthetic dyes from its products by the end of May 2025 — one of the fastest compliance timelines in the entire industry. While other major manufacturers were still announcing 2027 targets, Tyson was already done. For a company of Tyson’s size and product range — chicken, prepared foods, frozen meals, snacks — that’s a meaningful achievement. It also set a credibility marker for the rest of the industry: yes, this can be done quickly, if you decide it’s actually a priority.

In-N-Out: A Quiet Surprise

In May 2025, In-N-Out Burger confirmed it was removing artificial coloring from select menu items, including its famous pink lemonade. For a chain with such a fiercely loyal customer base and such a tightly controlled menu, this was a notable signal. In-N-Out doesn’t make changes lightly. The fact that they pulled synthetic dyes shows just how mainstream this concern has become — it’s no longer the territory of crunchy specialty brands. It’s the burger chain your high school friends still talk about.

General Mills: Aggressive Targets, Big Portfolio

General Mills — the maker of Cheerios, Trix, Lucky Charms, Betty Crocker, and Annie’s — announced an aggressive timeline: K-12 school foods and U.S. cereals dye-free by summer 2026, and the entire U.S. retail portfolio compliant by the end of 2027. The company says about 85 percent of its U.S. products are already free of certified colors. That last 15 percent, however, includes some of the most iconic offenders — the cereals with mascots that have built their entire visual identity on synthetic neon. Watching how Lucky Charms and Trix evolve over the next 18 months will be a real-world case study in how natural colors perform in brand-defining products.

The Dairy Industry: 90% of U.S. Ice Cream

In July 2025, the International Dairy Foods Association made a sweeping announcement. About 40 makers of ice cream and frozen dairy desserts pledged to remove seven petroleum-based dyes from their products by 2028. That commitment covers more than 90 percent of all U.S. ice cream sales. Turkey Hill Dairy was among the named participants.

Think about that for a moment. Ice cream is one of the most visually-driven product categories in the entire grocery store. Strawberry pink, mint green, bubblegum blue, rainbow sherbet — all of those colors have been heavily reliant on synthetic dyes. The dairy industry committing to remove them is essentially the entire frozen dessert aisle reinventing itself in real time.

The Already-Compliant Quiet Majority

Here’s a fact that doesn’t get enough attention: many major food brands were already mostly compliant before any of these announcements. Nestlé USA reports that over 90 percent of its U.S. portfolio is already dye-free. General Mills says 85 percent. Kraft Heinz says 90 percent of its U.S. product volumes are already dye-free. Conagra has been quietly reformulating for years — Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn now gets its golden hue from annatto, and Vlasic pickles swapped Yellow 5 for turmeric some time ago.

This raises an obvious question: if so much of the industry was already largely compliant, why was the remaining 10 to 15 percent so resistant to change for so long? The answer, in most cases, is that the dye-laden products were the iconic ones — the Kool-Aid, the Jell-O, the brightest cereals, the most colorful candies. The brands built on visual spectacle. Those are exactly the products that needed the most pressure to shift, and that’s exactly where the holdouts are concentrated.

What This Means for Your Cart

If you’re trying to vote with your dollars right now, here’s a practical hierarchy:

• Tyson products — already dye-free as of May 2025.
• In-N-Out menu items (where applicable) — already reformulated.
• Most of the Nestlé USA, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and Conagra portfolios — already dye-free, with a remaining handful of holdouts.
• Most major ice cream brands — in transition, with full compliance pledged by 2028.

When you’re standing in a grocery aisle staring at two similar products, the dye-free version is increasingly likely to be the bigger-brand option, not the niche specialty one. That’s a meaningful inversion of how this used to work.

The Companies That Haven’t Caved

Worth noting briefly: Mars Inc. (the maker of Skittles, M&Ms, and Starburst) has not committed to a U.S. phase-out. Their public position is that the dyes are FDA-approved and safe when used as directed. They are reportedly testing natural-color versions in select global markets, but no pledge for the U.S. market. This is the most prominent holdout in American candy. If you’re wondering which brands to push hardest on with your wallet — there’s your answer.

Reward the Brands Doing the Work — with RTNFP

Knowing who’s ahead of the curve and who’s dragging their feet is half the battle. Knowing what to actually grab off the shelf is the other half. That’s where Rock the New Food Pyramid earns its keep. We track which brands have followed through on their promises and which ones are still all talk — so you can shop with confidence and reward the companies actually doing right by your family. Thanks for being the kind of consumer they’re paying attention to.

Stay informed. Eat real. Rock The New Food Pyramid.

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