Tyson Foods to stop using corn syrup in products in US by end of 2025

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By Neil J Kanatt

(Reuters) – Tyson Foods said on Monday it will stop using certain ingredients, like high-fructose corn syrup, in its products by the end of 2025 in the U.S.

Food companies are seeking alternative ingredients in response to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign that aims to eliminate artificial dyes from packaged foods sold in the country.

Kennedy has also been critical of the amount of sugar consumed in the American diet and has said that updated dietary guidelines will advise Americans to eat “whole food”.

Coca-Cola has also decided to introduce a cane-sugar sweetened version of Coke in the U.S., after President Donald Trump pushed for a change.

The meatpacker said on Monday it will also stop using ingredients such as sucralose, titanium dioxide and the synthetic antioxidant BHA/BHT in its brands, including Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm meat products, while noting that the ingredients being removed are FDA-approved and safe to use.

“We continuously review and assess our product portfolio to ensure the highest quality products that meet the needs of consumers,” said Donnie King, CEO of Tyson Foods.

The move follows the company’s removal of petroleum-based synthetic dyes from its products earlier this year.

“Clean-label moves tend to reduce buyer friction,” said Alex Jarombek, senior analyst at research firm Consumer Edge.

Tyson in August raised its annual revenue forecast, betting on consumers’ increased appetite for chicken, while it battles losses in its beef business due to cattle shortage.

Shares of the Springdale, Arkansas-based company were down 1.5% in afternoon trading.

(Reporting by Neil J Kanatt in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)