The International Dairy Foods Association and major U.S. ice cream brands have pledged to remove artificial colors like Red 40 and Yellow 5 from real-milk ice cream by the end of 2027.

Companies were not named but International Dairy Foods Assn. says they represent ‘more than 90% of the ice cream’; Consumer Brands also works to end colors in school foods.

Makers of over 40 top ice cream brands have pledged to stop using petroleum-derived synthetic colourings in two years’ time.

The average American gobbles down about 19 pounds of ice cream a year, according to the industry. Confessing that ice cream is his favorite food, Mr. Kennedy said the initiative does not apply to products made with non-dairy ingredients or those made in-house by small ice cream shops or restaurants.

The FDA has approved Gardenia blue as a natural food dye, part of a broader push by Health and Human Services to support dairy and clean ingredients.