Big Food gets a makeunder

In a June 17 press release, Kraft Heinz — the food and beverage manufacturer of several fan-favorite products, including Kraft Mac and Cheese, Heinz ketchup, Jell-O and Kool-Aid — said it would eliminate all artificial dyes used in its products by the end of 2027. The company specified that “nearly 90 percent” of its U.S. products are already free of synthetic color additives, also known as FD&C colors. For the remaining 10 percent of products, Kraft Heinz has “invested significant resources” and mobilized a team to remove colors that aren’t critical to the consumer experience, replace FD&C colors with natural substitutes and reinvent new colors that don’t have natural alternatives.

“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 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’s decision was praised by Kennedy, who called it a “voluntary step” that “proves that when the government sets clear, science-based standards, the food industry listens and acts.”

“I urge more companies to follow this lead and put the well-being of American families first,” Kennedy concluded his post to X. “Together, we will Make America Healthy Again.”