American Bakers Voluntarily Pledge To Remove Colors by Next School Year
The American Bakers Association (ABA) last week joined the chorus of groups committing to remove synthetic colors from foods, announcing a voluntary commitment that about 96% of its members will remove them from school baked goods by next school year.
ABA’s “Baked Goods in Schools Pledge” aims to eliminate the use of certified FD&C colors in all baked goods provided to K-12 schools through the National School Breakfast, Lunch, and Competitive Foods Programs by the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year.
The association noted nearly 83% of ABA member companies providing baked goods to schools have already removed certified FD&C colors and another 13% have committed to the pledge. So, currently, at least 96% percent of ABA member companies serving schools will be positioned to provide baked goods free of those color additives by next school year.
“By uniting around this pledge, our members are going beyond what’s required and responding to evolving consumer expectations,” said Eric Dell, ABA president/CEO.
ABA will work closely with member companies to support a smooth transition by the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Presumably, FDA will need to add this to the list we published earlier this week, "Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum-Based Food Dyes."
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.