(LOOTPRESS) – Walmart is preparing a major overhaul of its food offerings, announcing Wednesday that it will phase out synthetic dyes from all of its private-label products, including Marketside, Bettergoods, and Great Value.
Great Value is considered the nation’s largest consumer packaged goods brand, stocked in about 90% of American households, according to NielsenIQ.
The retailer set January 2027 as the deadline for the changes, which also include eliminating 30 other additives such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and fat substitutes.
West Virginia has banned specific artificial food dyes in products sold within the state, effective January 1, 2028.
Among the ingredients to be cut are potassium bromate and propylparaben, both of which California has already moved to ban.
Walmart said the move will require reformulating and testing more than 1,000 products, though nearly 90% of its store-brand food items are already free of artificial colors. The company described the change as part of a broader effort to meet shifting customer expectations.
The decision comes amid growing pressure from federal health officials. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration have urged food makers to remove synthetic dyes by the end of 2027, though the agency has so far stopped short of issuing a nationwide ban.
Other major companies, including Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, and General Mills, have also pledged to transition away from artificial colors.
