Kraft Heinz to drop artificial food colors from U.S. products by 2027

The Kraft Heinz food giant on Tuesday said it would pull artificial food dyes from all of its U.S. products by the end of 2027. The company also said it would not launch any new U.S. products containing the dyes. Kraft Heinz owns a swath of classic brands including Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Oscar Mayer, Classico, and Capri-Sun.

Kraft Heinz may be the largest company to pull synthetic food dyes after the Food and Drug Administration in April said it would establish a national timeline to phase out most of the dyes by the end of next year. The FDA also began the process of revoking authorization for two other food colors and said it would fast-track natural alternatives for approval. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who spurred the change, in April called the petroleum-based synthetic dyes toxic and poisonous.

Kennedy on Tuesday praised Kraft Heinz for its decision and urged more companies to do the same.

What else did Kraft Heinz say? The company said it would replace food colors with natural options, formulate alternative colors, or leave them out if they’re not critical to the consumer experience. Most of the company’s products, including Heinz Tomato Ketchup, are already free of artificial dyes, it said.

What other big companies have phased out food dyes since the FDA made changes? Tyson Foods pledged to eliminate petroleum-based dyes by the end of May, according to Kennedy. In-N-Out Burger in May also said it was replacing synthetic dyes in some foods, including strawberry milkshakes and pink lemonade.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about Kennedy’s efforts to identify the root causes of autism.