The US Environmental Protection Agency has excluded microplastics and pharmaceuticals from its proposed list of contaminants that public water utilities must test for over the next five years, reversing an earlier pledge by Administrator Lee Zeldin. The draft Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, published in the Federal Register, cites the absence of a validated testing method. The decision means no federal mandate for microplastics monitoring will take effect before the next review cycle, which is not due until 2030. Environmental groups noted that the European Union has already developed testing protocols, and California’s water board has established a method that is not yet fully validated.

In a separate development, Nestlé said it would eliminate artificial colourings from all its products worldwide by the end of 2026, becoming the first major food company to set such a deadline. The move extends a policy already in place in the United States and responds to mounting consumer pressure and regulatory signals. The US Health Secretary and the Food and Drug Administration have flagged potential links between synthetic dyes and conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity, though many scientists stress that further research is needed. Nestlé’s chief technology officer, Stefan Palzer, said the transition required years of research and development to identify natural alternatives that preserve shelf life and production stability.

Nestlé is also reformulating its KitKat bars across most of Europe to add a hazelnut note and a crunchier texture, with a launch planned for September 2027. The company said the change is not a response to record cocoa prices but an effort to attract consumers who prefer dark chocolate without alienating milk-chocolate buyers. The UK recipe will remain unchanged, as the company considers it already suited to local tastes for “toasted caramel.” In the United States, where KitKat is manufactured by Hershey, a separate creamier version is due the same year.

The EPA’s proposed monitoring list is open for public comment before finalisation; the testing cycle is scheduled to begin in December. Nestlé’s colourant-free portfolio is expected by end-2026, and the new KitKat reaches European shelves in September 2027. California’s water board continues to develop its microplastics testing protocol, though it has not yet been fully validated for regulatory use.