US Ice Cream Makers Covering Over 90% of Output Pledge to Drop Artificial Colors by End of 2027

Ice cream manufacturers representing more than 90% of United States output have committed to removing permitted artificial colors from retail products made with natural milk by the end of 2027, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said. The voluntary commitment was announced in July 2025 and set a single collective deadline instead of leaving the timing to individual companies.

Progress was reviewed at a meeting held at the headquarters of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), attended by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dairy industry representatives and ice cream manufacturers, dairynews.today reported. The event showcased products free of artificial colors made from milk supplied by American farmers.

Reformulation work sits with suppliers and plants

IDFA said participating companies are working with ingredient suppliers and investing in re-engineering their production processes. The stated objective is to hold taste, texture and the other attributes consumers expect while the colorants change — a demanding constraint in frozen aerated products, where pigment stability, dosage and shelf life behave differently than in ambient foods.

Richard Graeter, President and CEO of Graeter's Ice Cream and chair of the IDFA ice cream board, said that over the past year companies of various sizes have reviewed recipes, collaborated with suppliers and invested in their facilities. That description points to capital spending at plant level rather than a simple substitution on the ingredient deck.

School commitments already delivered

The ice cream initiative is one of three voluntary IDFA programmes covering consumer protection and public health issues. The other two address school nutrition. Under the "Healthy Dairy Products in Schools" project, manufacturers pledged to remove artificial colors from milk, cheese and yogurt supplied to the school program. The association said that commitment was fulfilled by the start of the 2026/2027 school year.

A separate programme covers added sugar in flavored milk for schools. Participating manufacturers limited added sugar to 10 grams per eight-ounce serving, approximately 0.24 litres, a reduction of 57%.

Rollins said 37 processing facilities, covering about 90% of school milk supplies, met the sugar commitments, and that all 57 processors taking part in the dairy program had excluded artificial colors from the relevant products.

• Retail ice cream: artificial colors to be removed by the end of 2027, covering companies with more than 90% of US output
• School milk, cheese and yogurt: artificial colors removed by the start of the 2026/2027 school year, across all 57 participating processors
• Flavored school milk: added sugar capped at 10 grams per eight-ounce serving, about 0.24 litres, down 57%
• 37 processing plants, about 90% of school milk supplies, met the sugar commitments

Policy framing and industry position

Rollins described the measures as making healthier choices easier for families. Kennedy presented the recipe changes as part of the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. Michael Dykes, President and CEO of IDFA, said voluntary coordinated action should accommodate evolving consumer demands while preserving nutritional value, taste, affordability and choice.

IDFA represents producers and sellers of dairy products, including companies and cooperatives making milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and dairy ingredients. The scope of the pledge — retail products made from natural milk — leaves the schedule in industry hands rather than under a regulatory mandate, with the collective end-2027 date serving as the common reference point for manufacturers and their ingredient suppliers.