Ice cream makers representing about 90% of the U.S. supply of the frozen treat have pledged to remove artificial dyes from their products in less than three years, federal health officials said Monday.

The move is the latest voluntary effort by food manufacturers to heed calls from the Trump administration to remove synthetic dyes over concerns about potential health effects. In recent weeks, companies including Nestle, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would pull artificial colors from their foods, too.

“This is a Renaissance moment for health in America,” U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference.

About 40 makers of ice cream and frozen dairy desserts said they would remove seven petroleum-based dyes from their products by 2028, according to Michael Dykes, president of the International Dairy Foods Association. The colors are Red 3, Red 40, Green 3, Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. The trade group wouldn’t identify the firms.

Makary also hinted that new federal dietary guidelines, expected later this year, would challenge established links between saturated fat and heart disease, ending what he called “a 70-year demonization of natural saturated fat.”

The average American eats about 4 gallons of ice cream a year, the IDFA said.

Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies showing that they may cause some neurobehavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and attention problems, in some children. The Food and Drug Administration has maintained that approved dyes are safe and that “most children have no adverse effects” when consuming foods made with them.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized the dyes and pressured manufacturers to remove them from foods. In their place, manufacturers should use dyes made from fruit juices, plant extracts and other sources, federal officials said.

The FDA has approved new natural color additives in recent months, including a new blue color made from the fruit of the gardenia announced Monday. Gardenia (genipin) blue is approved for use in sports drinks, candies and certain other products, the agency said.

Makary also sent a letter to food manufacturers on Monday that “encourages” them to speed up removal of the dye known as Red 3, which was banned in January. Food makers have until 2027 to remove the dye, which was found to cause cancer in laboratory rats, but not humans.

— Associated Press

Starbucks to mandate return-to-office

Starbucks is requiring some remote workers to return to its headquarters and increasing the number of days that corporate employees are required to work in an office.

In a letter to employees posted on Monday, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said corporate employees would need to be in the office four days a week starting in early October instead of three days a week.

The Seattle-based com

pany said that all corporate “people leaders” must be based in either Seattle or Toronto within 12 months. That is a change from February, when it required vice presidents to relocate to Seattle or Toronto.

Starbucks said individual employees working under those leaders would not be asked to relocate. But the company said all hiring for future roles and lateral moves will require employees to be based in Seattle or Toronto.

Niccol said affected workers who choose not to relocate will be eligible for a one-time voluntary exit program with a cash payment.

Bitcoin hits new high of $123,000

Bitcoin continued its rapid climb and hit another all-time high Monday as U.S. lawmakers begin a week focused on passing pro-crypto legislation.

Data from CoinMarketCap showed bitcoin climbed above $123,000 early Monday, up from about $108,000 only a week ago. The world’s oldest and most popular cryptocurrency is currently the fifth most valuable asset class in the world at $2.4 trillion, giving it a higher market cap than Amazon.

The enthusiasm for bitcoin comes as the U.S. House is set to take up several pieces of cryptocurrency-related legislation in what’s been dubbed “crypto week” in Congress. Lawmakers have been under pressure from President Donald Trump and the big-spending crypto lobby to pass legislation quickly.

That includes a bill passed last month by the Senate that would regulate a type of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins. The House is also set to take up a cryptocurrency market structure legislation that is far more sweeping.

— From news services