Kraft Heinz has committed to eliminate all FD&C colour additives from its US product portfolio by the end of 2027.
The Heinz ketchup and Jell-O desserts brand owner also said in a statement yesterday (17 June) that it has “immediately” stopped launching any products in the US containing FD&Cs, or food, drug and cosmetic colours.
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“Removing colours where it is not critical to the consumer experience; replacing FD&C colours with natural colours; or reinventing new colours and shades where matching natural replacements are not available,” Kraft Heinz explained.
Almost 90% of Kraft Heinz’s US products, measured by net sales, are currently free of FD&C colours, the company said in the statement.
Additives in food and drinks have become a contentious topic since President Trump announced the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign led by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Earlier this year, Kennedy reportedly met with major US food companies to push for the elimination of artificial dyes, including a goal to cease their use by the time his term ends in 2028.
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By GlobalDataThen in April, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced measures to phase out petroleum-based food dyes by the end of 2026, stating the regulator was “establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives”.
Asked for more detail on the Kraft Heinz products concerned, a spokesperson told Just Food: “Many of the impacted SKUs are in our beverages and desserts portfolios, including certain products sold under brands like Crystal Light, Kool Aid, Jell-O, and Jet Puffed that currently contain FD&C colours.”
Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz has mobilised a dedicated team to manage the transition and is also collaborating with licensees of its brands to remove FD&C colours.
“The vast majority of our products use natural or no colours, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C colours across the remainder of our portfolio,” Pedro Navio, Kraft Heinz’s North America president, said in the statement.
“Above all, we are focused on providing nutritious, affordable, and great-tasting food for Americans and this is a privilege we don’t take lightly.”
Kraft Heinz, which recently announced it was weighing up “strategic transactions to unlock shareholder value”, also provided some insight on other reformulation measures it has taken.
The company said yesterday it has adjusted more than 1,000 recipes to increase protein and fibre, while reducing sugar, salt, and saturated fat. As a result, it is on track to reduce nearly 55 million pounds of sugar across its portfolio by the end of 2025, Kraft Heinz said.
As pressures intensify to remove colour additives from food, Kraft Heinz’s US food peer General Mills also came out with a similar announcement yesterday.
General Mills pledged to eliminate “certified colours” [those approved by the FDA] from its US cereals and K-12 school foods by summer 2026, and from its entire US “retail” portfolio by the end of 2027.
“Nearly all” of its current K-12 school offerings and 85% of its US retail portfolio are already free of certified colours, meaning the change affects “only a small portion” of its products, the Cheerios cereal maker said.
Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening said: “Today, the vast majority of our foods are made without certified colours and we’re working to ensure that will soon apply to our full portfolio. Knowing the trust families place in us, we are leading the way on removing certified colours in cereals and K-12 foods by next summer.”
