Conagra Brands said on June 25 it’s working on a three-step schedule to remove certified Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors from its portfolio. Those colors will be removed from its U.S. frozen product portfolio by the end of this year, gone from products sold to K-12 schools by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year and out of the entire U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.
Conagra’s announcement came the same day as one from Nestle USA, and a week after promises from Kraft Heinz and General Mills. Although none of the companies specified the color additives, they're apparently focusing on the seven petroleum-based colorants – Blue 1 & 2, Green 3, Red 3 & 40 and Yellow 5 & 6 – that FDA and Health & Human Services officials asked for removal in an April 22 press conference.
“Our 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, Conagra's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Our leading portfolio of frozen brands, including Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's and more, will be 100% free from FD&C colors by the end of 2025."
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.