Dairy Industry Says It Will Remove Artificial Dyes From Food Sold to Schools

The voluntary pledge is to remove artificial colors from milk, cheese, and yogurt by mid-2026.

A boy drinks milk at a school in San Francisco in an undated file picture. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Dairy companies have vowed to remove artificial dyes from products sold to schools under a new voluntary pledge unveiled by the International Dairy Foods Association on April 22.

The pledge, signed by numerous companies, states that businesses selling food to schools for national school lunch and breakfast programs will stop adding artificial dyes to the products by July 2026, or the start of the 2026-2027 school year.