Walmart eliminating synthetic dyes from private food brands

Walmart is planning to eliminate synthetic dyes and 30 ingredients from its private food branded products. 

The announcement of this change by the retail giant comes amid the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is leading a ban on artificial dyes.

Which Walmart food brand products are impacted?

Why you should care:

Walmart announced in a company release that in-house brands such as Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and Bettergoods will undergo what it considers one the largest brand overhauls.  

FOX Business reported that Walmart bakery goods like Marketside cakes, various Great Value cereals and certain branded snacks, sports drinks and dressings will be changed. 

Walmart said roughly 90% of its private food products are free from synthetic dyes. 

RELATED: FDA aims to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic dyes in food by end of 2026

The company said consumers will start to see the changes to its food branded products in the next few months, with longer lead time changes planned to wrap up by January 2027.

What they're saying:

"Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we’ve listened," Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said in a company release. "By eliminating synthetic dyes and other ingredients, we’re reinforcing our promise to deliver affordable food that families can feel good about."

What synthetic dyes are being removed from Walmart food products?

Dig deeper:

Walmart is eliminating these 11 synthetic dyes from all private-branded food products, which are listed below: 

• FD&C Blue 1
• FD&C Blue 2
• FD&C Green 3
• FD&C Red 3
• FD&C Red 4
• FD&C Red 40
• FD&C Yellow 5
• FD&C Yellow 6
• FD&C Citrus Red
• FD&C Orange B
• Canthaxanthin

What are synthetic dyes? 

The backstory:

Synthetic dyes are petroleum-based chemicals that don’t occur in nature. They’re widely used in foods to "enhance the visual appeal" of products, according to Sensient Food Colors, a St. Louis-based supplier of food colors and flavorings.

RELATED: M&M's, Skittles maker pushes back on RFK Jr's MAHA initiative to ban synthetic food dyes

For years, there has been opposition and government regulation over  how food and drink have been colored, most recently with the decision in February from the Food and Drug Administration to ban Red 3 from foods and oral-ingested drugs because of concerns over a possible cancer risk.

Nine dyes, including Red 3, have been allowed in U.S. food. The other common color additives in food are Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Two permitted colors are used more rarely: Citrus Red 2 and Orange B.

The FDA certifies synthetic color additives and regulates their use.