Orrville, Ohio-based J.M. Smucker Co. is taking steps to end the use of food color additives. The company said in a release that it had already stopped using FD&C coloring from many of its products, but this will take the company to the point where all will be eliminated.

Food colors referenced as FD&C are those that are regulated by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Smucker said most of its product line is free of the coloring agents, and this last change will remove them from its sugar-free fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, and "certain products from its Hostess brand portfolio."

To round out the process, the company said it will work with distribution partners to eliminate products with the added colors to be sold to K-12 schools throughout the country by the 2026-2027 school year.

Smucker is just the latest of nearly half a dozen food producers that have made similar announcements in the past two weeks. They include General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Conagra, and Nestle.

The announcements follow a decision announced in April by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to eliminate artificial food coloring from Americans' diets. Kennedy said, "For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent."

Kennedy said he wanted to get food producers to voluntarily comply with new guidelines on artificial colors rather than force them with administrative rules or lawsuits.

Kennedy posted on Wednesday that he was glad to see the voluntary support from producers. "Glad to see more companies like @Nestle and @ConagraBrands taking action to remove artificial dyes from their foods. I urge other companies to step up and help us Make America Healthy Again."

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