The Kraft Heinz Company announced it will not launch any new products in the US with Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colours, effective immediately. The company also announced it will remove the remaining FD&C colours from its US product portfolio before the end of 2027.
Already, nearly 90% of Kraft Heinz’s US products are free of FD&C colours. For the small portion of products that currently contain FD&C colours, the company has invested significant resources, mobilising a team to address this complex challenge with a three-pronged approach (3Rs):
- Removing colours where it is not critical to the consumer experience; or
- Replacing FD&C colours with natural colours; or
- Reinventing new colours 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 colours, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C colours across the remainder of our portfolio.
“In fact, we removed artificial colours, preservatives and flavours from our beloved Kraft Mac & Cheese back in 2016. Our iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup has never had artificial dyes – the red colour 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.”
