Some of the company’s brands will no longer include artificial colors by the end of 2025, the CEO said.
“We obviously understand that we have science and… when the product is very safe and there’s nothing to worry about this, but there’s probably a consumer demand for more natural ingredients.
Laguarta said some brands, such as Lays and Tostitos, will not contain artificial colors by the end of 2025.
“In the coming years, we’ve moved all our portfolios to natural colours, or at least offered consumers a natural colour choice,” he later added. “And obviously, every consumer has the opportunity to choose what they like. That’s the journey we’re taking.”
Pepsi also owns brands such as Doritos, Mountain Dew, Gatorade and Cheats, which contain artificial colors.
US regulators that previously issued the Red 3 No. 3 ban, which came into effect in early 2027, announced on April 22 that they were banning two other dyes, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B.
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The remaining six artificial colors that companies can use are not currently banned as the company has been cleared by the FDA.
“Let’s start in a friendly way and see if we can do this without statutory or regulatory changes,” agency committee member Dr. Marty McCurry told reporters.
McCurry and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said companies have expressed their desire to change ingredients.
“We don’t have any agreement. We have understanding,” Kennedy said.
The lack of a complete ban on the majority of dyes attracted criticism.
In 2024, California banned artificial colors in school lunches, but West Virginia banned them statewide. Other states have moved to similar bans.
A spokesman for WK Kellogg, a leading manufacturer of products such as Froot Loops, told Epoch Times in an email that around 85% of cereal sales do not contain artificial dyes.
The spokesman said the company will remove artificial colors from the cereals it offers at schools, and will halt new dye releases from January 2026, and will work with health authorities to remove dyes from other products.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the government and work together,” the spokesman said. “We recently met with the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services at Kennedy and had a very constructive conversation, and we understand the agency’s priorities for simpler foods and are pleased to share that we are already taking action in this area.
Many companies produce versions of dye-free products sold outside the US. In the past, some replaced dyes with natural colors such as macaroni and cheese crafts, while others, including General Mills, tried to switch completely before resuming the release of their versions with artificial dyes.
“Consumers have different food preferences. We’ve heard from many Trix fans that they missed the bright, vibrant colours and the nostalgic taste of classic Trix cereal,” a spokesman for General Mills, who creates Trix, told the news outlet in 2017.
More recently, McCormick CEO Brendan Foley said in a revenue call in late 2024, the company will reorganize its products.
“We’re looking at check-ups in our reformulation activities,” he told investors, adding later, “It’s not just a colour, it’s sodium.”
