The Kraft Heinz Company announced it will no longer introduce new products in the United States containing Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors and plans to remove the remaining FD&C colors from its U.S. portfolio by the end of 2027.
The company said nearly 90% of its U.S. products are already free of FD&C colors by net sales. For the small number of items that still contain these artificial colors, Kraft Heinz is pursuing a three-pronged strategy: removing colors where they are not critical to the consumer experience, replacing FD&C colors with natural alternatives, or reinventing new colors and shades where natural replacements are not available.
“As a food company with a 150-plus year heritage, we are continuously evolving our recipes, products, and portfolio to deliver superiority to consumers and customers,” said Pedro Navio, North America president at Kraft Heinz.
Navio noted that the company removed artificial colors, preservatives and flavors from Kraft Mac & Cheese in 2016, and that Heinz Tomato Ketchup has never contained artificial dyes.
The company said it is also working with licensees of its brands to encourage the removal of FD&C colors.
Kraft Heinz, which sources tomatoes for its ketchup from California and ingredients for other products from farms across the country, emphasized its ongoing commitment to quality and nutrition. The company said it has reformulated more than 1,000 product recipes in recent years to reduce sugar, salt and saturated fat while adding protein and fiber. It expects to reduce nearly 55 million pounds of sugar across its portfolio by the end of 2025.
