Today's Edition
(THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE)
Kraft Heinz, the American food giant best known for its ketchup and boxed Mac & Cheese, said Tuesday it would remove all chemical dyes from its products by the end of 2027.
The company said the shift would affect only about 10 percent of its portfolio by sales.
A spokesperson confirmed it would affect brands like Kool-Aid, Jell-O, Crystal Light and items that contain dyes like Red No. 40 and Blue No. 1.
Kraft Heinz is the first major food company to officially announce plans to stop using artificial colors.
In April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, said he had reached "an understanding” with food manufacturers to remove commonly used artificial food dyes from their products by 2026.
Kennedy has long criticised the artificial dyes used in processed foods as part of a larger food system he says contributes to chronic disease and poor health.
Kraft, like other food and beverage giants, will face myriad challenges in trying to replicate its bright red cherry Kool-Aid or the orange in its Crystal Light drink mixes from natural sources. Food coloring experts caution that it can be tricky to match the shades with natural ingredients, could require changes in formulations and may be more costly as it takes significantly more natural ingredients to achieve the bright, saturated hues found in artificial colors.
Kraft, which quietly and successfully removed artificial colors from its popular bright orange macaroni and cheese product in 2016 by switching to turmeric and paprika, said it would not introduce any new products using synthetic dyes, effective immediately.
"The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors,” Pedro Navio, the president of North America at Kraft Heinz, said. He noted that the company had been moving to reduce the use of artificial colors across its portfolio.
