Irvine, Calif.-based burger chain In-N-Out confirmed that the company is making several changes to its ingredient sourcing policies, including the removal of artificial food coloring from its pink lemonade and strawberry syrup and swapping out ketchup that contains high-fructose corn syrup.
In-N-Out changed its ingredient sourcing policy seemingly in response to the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services departments’ plan to phase out artificial food dyes by the end of 2026. The quick-service chain is one of the first restaurant companies to make changes following the announcement of the food dye ban.
The news first broke on a popular In-N-Out social media fan account, but was verified separately by In-N-Out, which stated, “As part of our ongoing commitment to providing our customers with the highest-quality ingredients, we have removed artificial coloring from our Strawberry Shakes and Signature Pink Lemonade. We’re also in the process of transitioning to an upgraded ketchup, which is made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.”
Before 2025, the FDA approved the use of Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 in the production of food, as well as the much rarer dyes, Citrus Red and Orange B. In January, the FDA made the decision to ban red dye No. 3, commonly found in icing, sprinkles, and maraschino cherries. When the federal government under President Donald Trump unveiled its plan to remove artificial dyes from the nation’s food supply last month, HHS Secretary Kennedy said they were “clearly associated with a variety of a grim inventory of diseases.”
Earlier this week, the FDA approved the first three natural food colorants that will replace petroleum-based synthetic dyes after they are phased out between 2026-2028: Galdieria blue, butterfly pea extract, and calcium phosphate. More natural food colorants are waiting to be approved.
While high-fructose corn syrup has not been banned by the federal government, Kennedy has made his views on corn syrup clear and mentioned wanting to “wean America off” of the sweet corn byproduct even before he was sworn in as head of the HHS.
Since U.S. farmers produce 90 million acres of corn each year — though that is primarily used as a feed grain for livestock — a policy that banned corn syrup would not be popular with agricultural communities.
In-N-Out did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
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