MAHA Got Tyson to Stop Using Corn-Syrup
By Reuters | 15 Sep, 2025

The Make America Healthy Again campaign has induced Tyson Foods to stop using high-fructose corn syrup by the end of 2025.

Tyson Chicken Nuggets, owned by Tyson Foods, are seen for sale in Queens, New York, U.S., November 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/ File Photo

Tyson Foods announced on Monday that it will stop using certain ingredients, like high-fructose corn syrup, in its brands by the end of 2025 in the U.S., amid the "Make America Healthy Again" campaign.

Food companies are now seeking alternative ingredients in response to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign, which 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".

Similar to Tyson's move, packaged goods giant Coca-Cola in July, decided to introduce a Coke product made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup in the United States, after President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in the U.S.

The meatpacker, on Monday, said 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.

"Tyson's decision to remove certain ingredients and preservatives fits a broader industry trend as consumers increasingly seek simpler ingredient labels," said Arun Sundaram, analyst at CFRA Research.

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

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