June 17 (UPI) — The Kraft Heinz company announced Tuesday it has begun the process to fully drop any artificial dyes being used in its foods in the United States.
What this may visually mean for its colorful powdered mix creations like Kool-Aid and Jell-O is unclear, but the company says its goal is to have all Food, Drug and Cosmetic colors out of its product portfolio by the end of 2027.
“The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors,” said Kraft Heinz North America President Pedro Navio in a press release, “and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of [Food, Drug and Cosmetic] colors across the remainder of our portfolio.”
Navio also pointed out that the company had already taken out “artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors” from its Kraft Mac & Cheese, and that its Heinz Tomato Ketchup has never had artificial dyes.
The company further noted in the release that almost 90% of Kraft Heinz’s American products are already free of such colors and is” mobilizing a team” to help rid the dyes from the rest of its edibles.
The move comes after an April announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health and Human Services that it will take measures to remove all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from American foods.
“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,” added Navio.
