MADISON, Wis. — Responding to pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, dozens of ice cream makers voluntarily pledged last month to remove artificial dyes from their products by 2028.
Together, those companies produce more than 90% of the ice cream sold within the U.S., according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
“Americans are passionate about their ice cream, and the IDFA Ice Cream Commitment will ensure wholesome, indulgent ice cream products made with real milk from American dairy farmers remain a special part of our lives as state and federal policies evolve,” said IDFA CEO Michael Dykes.
Wisconsin-based Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream has been working to remove artificial dyes from its more than 100 flavors for the past decade. Currently, about 75% of its flavors are either dye-less or use natural dyes. Here’s how CEO Dave Deadman says this change could affect your favorite scoops:
Color
Ice cream makers will have to rely on natural dyes, which primarily means plant-based colors. Deadman says those can fade faster than synthetic dyes.
“You’re gonna have different colors. They’re not gonna be as vibrant. They’re gonna be a little more muted,” Deadman said. “Or maybe ice cream companies will choose not to put colors in different flavors. So instead of a green mint chip, you might end up with a white mint chip.”
Watch: Wisconsin ice cream maker explains how removing artificial dyes could affect your favorite scoops
Examples of natural dyes include turmeric-based yellows, blueberry and spirulina for blues, carrot juice for orange, and beet juice for red. Supplies of those dyes could be limited by crop production. In some cases, ice cream makers may also have to blend dyes to create the colors they want.
“You can start playing around with, say, spirulina, which is blue, and you can use some turmeric, which is yellow. Blend those together, go back to your grade school art classes: blue and yellow make green,” Deadman said.
Flavor
“A different ingredient will definitely have a different flavor,” Deadman said. “The consumer is going to have to change what they think. It might be slightly different with all the natural colors.”
Deadman says his company is currently working to reformulate flavoring for ice creams that rely on artificial dyes.
Price
Natural dyes are typically more expensive than their synthetic counterparts – as much as 10 times more expensive, according to Deadman. Companies are likely to pass those prices onto consumers. At Chocolate Shoppe, Deadman says natural dyes could add anywhere from three to 10 cents to the price of an ice cream cone. More complicated flavors, such as Superman and blue moon, are likely to be more expensive.
“To move to natural, that’s just gonna be the cost,” Deadman said. “And I have kids, it’s definitely worth it to make sure that our food is safer for everybody.”
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
