The Kraft Heinz Company announced on June 17 that it will not launch any new products in the U.S. with Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) colors, effective immediately. 

The company also announced that it will remove the remaining FD&C Act colors from its U.S. product portfolio before the end of 2027. 

Kraft Heinz notes that, already, nearly 90 percent of its U.S. products are free of FD&C Act colors (in terms of net sales). To address the small portion of products that currently contain FD&C Act colors, the company is taking a three-pronged approach:

• Removing colors where it is not critical to the consumer experience, or
• Replacing FD&C Act colors with natural colors, or
• Reinventing new colors and shades where matching natural replacements are not available.

“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,” said Pedro Navio, North America President at Kraft Heinz. “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 [Act] colors across the remainder of our portfolio. In fact, we removed artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors from our beloved Kraft Mac & Cheese back in 2016. Our iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup has never had artificial dyes—the red color comes simply from the world’s best tomatoes. 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 notes that it is also working with licensees of its brands to encourage them to remove FD&C Act colors.

As reported by Food Safety Magazine, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a press conference in April announcing their intent to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply. The agencies described the action as a “major step forward” in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, popularized by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and adopted by the Trump Administration.

Since then, Food Safety Magazine has reported on Tyson Foods’ steps to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic dyes from its products.

Also, Mars has confirmed that its popular Skittles candy is no longer being made with the color additive titanium dioxide in the U.S., noting that it removed the additive from its U.S. Skittles portfolio at the end of 2024.

Since assuming the post of HHS Secretary in November 2024, Secretary Kennedy has made food additives, such as synthetic dyes, one of his key areas of focus.