Kraft Heinz, the manufacturer of foods such as Jell-O, Capri Sun and Kool-Aid, announced Tuesday that they will remove artificial dyes from its products sold in the U.S. by the end of 2027. The multinational food company also said it will stop making new products that contain these dyes, effective immediately. Over 200 brands are manufactured by Kraft Heinz, which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Kraft Heinz said that 10% of its products contain the dyes and that it has invested in removing the colors or replacing them with natural colors. Pedro Navio, North America president at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement that the company removed artificial colors, preservatives and flavors from its Kraft Mac & Cheese product in 2016, and that its Heinz tomato ketchup has never had artificial dyes.
Navio’s statement read, in part: “As a food company with a 150+ year heritage, we are continuously evolving our recipes, products, and portfolio to deliver superiority to consumers and customers. The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C (Food, Drug & Cosmetic) colors across the remainder of our portfolio. … 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’s announcement comes after U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan in April to start phasing out eight synthetic food dyes in the American food supply. At a news conference announcing the plan, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said health agencies were looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with the food industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in a variety of food products.
Shortly thereafter, PepsiCo’s CEO said on an earnings call that the company had already begun phasing out artificial colors. In-N-Out also announced in May it was removing artificial food dyes from menu items. Other companies, like Kellogg’s, have previously stated their products are safe for consumption, and they are following federal standards set by the FDA.
The FDA currently allows 36 food color additives, including eight synthetic dyes used heavily in U.S. products (certain states, including California and West Virginia, have enacted bans to restrict their use). Last month, the FDA approved two dyes and expanded approval of a third, meaning it can now be used in a wider range of food products.
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