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OAN Staff Abril Elfi and Brooke Mallory
11:46 AM – Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Dozens of U.S. ice cream companies have recently pledged to eliminate artificial dyes from their products by the end of 2027 — in light of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA).
However, a full list of the ice cream companies participating in the MAHA initiative has not yet been publicly released.
On Monday, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and Kennedy Jr. announced that about 40 ice cream companies, who produce more than 90% of ice cream sold in the U.S., will remove dyes “Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6” from their ice cream.
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“This is a Renaissance moment for health in America,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference.
Colored dyes in food—especially synthetic (artificial) food dyes—are often considered unhealthy due to a mix of potential health risks, allergic reactions, and behavioral concerns, particularly in children. Some artificial dyes, like Red 3 (Erythrosine), have been shown to cause cancer in lab animals. Studies have also linked artificial food dyes (like Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40) to increased hyperactivity and attention issues in children, especially those who already have ADHD.
Dyes are purely cosmetic—they add no nutrition, just color. That typically means that the food product is ultra-processed while masking low-quality ingredients.
Meanwhile, products made with real milk sold at food retail locations will be participating in the initiative, but not products made with non-dairy ingredients and those made in-house at local businesses. Federal officials say that in place of artificial colors, manufacturers should use ones made from fruit juices, plant extracts and other organic sources.
The term “natural flavors” on food labels does not mean that the ingredient is truly natural in the way most people imagine. While the original source must be natural (e.g., a fruit), the final ingredient can be heavily processed in a lab. It may contain solvents, preservatives, and additives that are not natural at all—and companies don’t have to list them. A single “natural flavor” can contain 50+ chemical compounds, many of which are synthetic or engineered.
“I applaud the International Dairy Foods Association for stepping up to eliminate certified artificial colors,” Kennedy said. “The American people have made it clear—they want real food, without chemicals. Together, we will Make America Healthy Again.”
Health activists have long-advocated for the removal of artificial colors from foods, citing mixed findings indicating that they can cause some neurobehavioral disorders in children, such as hyperactivity. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Biden administration previously claimed otherwise, arguing that authorized dyes are harmless and that “most children have no adverse effects” while eating foods containing them.
According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the “average American eats about 4 gallons of ice cream a year.”
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