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Kraft Heinz Commits to Remove FD&C Colors From Its U.S. Portfolio Before the End of 2027 and Will Not Launch New Products in the U.S. With FD&C Colors, Effective Immediately

via Business Wire
  • Nearly 90 percent of Kraft Heinz U.S. products are already free of FD&C colors
  • Kraft Heinz has made 1,000+ recipe changes over the past five years to improve product nutrition

Today, The Kraft Heinz Company announced it will not launch any new products in the U.S. with Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors, effective immediately. The Company also announced it will remove the remaining FD&C colors from its U.S. product portfolio before the end of 2027. Already, nearly 90 percent of Kraft Heinz’s U.S. products are free of FD&C colors (by Net Sales). For the small portion of products that currently contain FD&C colors, the Company has invested significant resources, mobilizing a team to address this complex challenge with a three-pronged approach (3Rs):

  • Removing colors where it is not critical to the consumer experience; or
  • Replacing FD&C colors with natural colors; or
  • Reinventing new colors 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 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.”

Given FD&C colors have a longstanding history of approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Kraft Heinz has used the colors in a small number of products. As part of this process, Kraft Heinz is also working with licensees of its brands to encourage them to remove FD&C colors.

Ongoing Commitment to Quality & Nutrition

For Kraft Heinz, it all starts at the source. Farming is the heart of our story – from soil to table, every product reflects the care, expertise, and responsibility we bring to nourishing people around the world.

Today, Kraft Heinz sources the most tomatoes in the U.S., all grown in California for products like Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Claussen pickles (cucumbers) are grown in Ohio and Michigan; Ore-Ida potatoes are grown in Idaho; the dairy for Philadelphia cream cheese comes from farms in Upstate New York. It’s all part of the Company’s mission to make high-quality, great-tasting food that is both affordable and accessible to all.

Kraft Heinz has made great progress innovating and renovating its products to improve their nutritional profiles in recent years. The Company has made changes to more than 1,000 product recipes to add protein and fiber, and reduce sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Through these changes, Kraft Heinz is on track to reduce nearly 55 million pounds of sugar across its portfolio by the end of this year.

To learn more about Kraft Heinz, visit www.kraftheinz.com/made-by-us

ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY

We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company (Nasdaq: KHC), inspired by our Purpose, Let’s Make Life Delicious. Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2024 net sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of eight consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we’re dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting www.kraftheinzcompany.com or following us on LinkedIn.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains a number of forward-looking statements. Words such as “commit,” “will,” “expect,” “focus,” and variations of such words and similar future or conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Those factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The Company disclaims and does not undertake any obligation to update, revise, or withdraw any forward-looking statement in this press release, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

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