Ice cream makers pledge to reformulate without artificial colours

The US dairy manufacturing body, International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), is leading a voluntary initiative with America’s ice cream makers to help eliminate certified artificial colours from ice cream products made with real milk by the end of 2027.

The IDFA Ice Cream Commitment initiative has led to dozens of US ice cream companies pledging to eliminate the use of Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 from their ice cream and frozen dairy desserts before 2028.

The initiative applies to products made with real milk sold at food retail (including supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores and online retailers) by the nation’s commercial ice cream makers. In addition to branded and private label sales at food retail, many of the nation’s commercial ice cream makers distribute their products to restaurants, ice cream parlours and scoop shops across the country. This initiative does not apply to products made with non-dairy ingredients or those made in-house by small ice cream shops or restaurants (ie, food service).

“I am proud of ice cream makers and dairy foods companies for stepping up for American families by making this voluntary commitment to provide ice cream and frozen dairy treats without certified artificial colours,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of IDFA.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), certified artificial colours are safe for use in foods when used in accordance with FDA regulations; at the same time, West Virginia has passed a law phasing out their use in foods sold at retail and several states are phasing out certified artificial colours in school foods. This misalignment of federal and state policies could disrupt how and where foods, such as ice cream, are marketed and sold. 

With US policies about artificial colours in food continuing to change, many commercial ice cream makers have already phased out certified artificial colours. Other are working with suppliers to phase them out by 2028 in compliance with this initiative and other business considerations.

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