Walmart to phase out synthetic dyes across all private-label food brands​

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(Reuters) -Walmart said on Wednesday it would remove synthetic dyes from its U.S. private-label foods, including the Great Value and bettergoods brands, by January 2027, joining several other companies amid pressure from the Trump administration.

Major packaged food makers, including PepsiCo, Campbell’s and Conagra Brands, have made similar announcements in recent months, in response to the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cracked down on ultra-processed food and chemical additives, saying they have led to a national crisis of childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, mental health disorders, allergies and neurodevelopmental conditions like autism.

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer by sales, also plans to eliminate more than 30 other ingredients such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes from its private-label assortment.

“Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we’ve listened,” said Walmart U.S. president John Furner.

The company has six in-house food brands, which have been a big draw among bargain-hunting Americans. It said 90% of its private-brand foods are synthetic dye-free currently.

Walmart is swapping out artificial coloring with beet root, turmeric, black carrots, spinach and hibiscus, though blues and greens remain tougher to substitute than other colors, a company spokesperson said.

One example of where changes are being made includes gelatin products sold under the “Great Value” brand, where yellow #6 and Red #40 dyes to make the color orange will be substituted by Beta Carotene. For cherry coloring, the red #40 and blue #1 dyes used will be substituted with a combination of carrot, radish, hibiscus, blueberry and spirulina, the spokesperson said.

The retailer said it is working with private-brand suppliers to adjust formulations and source alternative ingredients. Reformulated products, from canned and frozen foods to cereals and salads, will begin rolling out in the coming months.

“As the leading grocer in the U.S., this move will have a significant impact on the market and the safety of the food that so many Americans purchase,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

Walmart-owned warehouse club chain Sam’s Club had said in June it would remove artificial colors, aspartame from its Member’s Mark brand by the end of this year.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Siddharth Cavale, Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Mark Potter)