‘Rollback’ To Basics: Walmart Cuts Synthetic Dyes and 30 Additives from Store-Brand Foods

Walmart embarks on one of retail’s largest ingredient clean-ups, removing synthetic colors and over 30 additives in response to consumer demand.

Walmart (U.S.) has unveiled a sweeping initiative to eliminate synthetic dyes and more than 30 other ingredients—including artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and fat substitutes—from its private-label food brands, such as Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and bettergoods.

The retailer plans to roll out the reformulated products gradually, aiming for full compliance by January 2027. Walmart says about 90 percent of its store-brand items are already free of synthetic dyes, so this move ensures uniform standards across its lineup. 

“Our customers have told us they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we’ve listened,” said John Furner, President and CEO of Walmart (U.S.). The chain asserts it will maintain “great taste and value” even as suppliers reformulate dozens of product recipes.

The reformulation push reflects growing momentum behind Make America Healthy Again, an initiative at the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that promotes cleaner labels, phases out petroleum-based food dyes, and tightens oversight of ingredients considered generally recognized as safe. 

California’s Food Safety Act, AB 418, prohibits Red No. 3, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and propylparaben in foods sold in the state beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The FDA also issued a final rule revoking authorization for brominated vegetable oil in food, effective Aug. 2, 2024.

Major food companies, including Nestlé, Conagra, Kraft Heinz, and General Mills, have recently pledged reductions in synthetic dyes and other additives.

Critics caution that shifting to natural colorants can raise formulation costs or affect shelf life, texture, or appearance. Some of Walmart’s list of 30 removed additives were already uncommon or banned.

Monica Giusti, a food color expert at Ohio State University, warned, “If all companies were to remove synthetic colors from their formulations, the supply of the natural alternatives would not be enough.”

Still, Walmart’s scale gives it leverage to absorb cost pressures and push suppliers toward healthier formulations. Analysts say the retailer’s move could drive a ripple effect across the food industry.