Kraft Heinz Targets 2027 to Remove FD&C Colors from Its U.S. Portfolio

Kraft Heinz has published a progress report on its plan to remove FD&C colors from its U.S. portfolio by the end of 2027, giving home cooks a clearer view of what may change in familiar pantry products and what has not changed yet. The company says 90% of the products covered by its commitment were already free of FD&C colors when the pledge was made in June 2025. The remaining work is a reformulation programme, not a recall or a new food-safety alert.

The update, published in the Kraft Heinz newsroom on June 3, 2026, describes three routes: remove a color where it is not essential, replace it with a natural alternative where one performs adequately, or reinvent the shade when an exact match is not realistic. The distinction matters in the kitchen. A color change can affect the appearance of a drink, dessert or cake mix without changing the basic cooking method, but it can also behave differently during baking, chilling or storage.

What the company says it has done

Kraft Heinz says it has renovated 15 brands and that 85% of the products identified as candidates for replacement have been matched with natural colors. It also says more than 450 formulas are locked and moving through trials, consumer testing and shelf-life validation. “Locked” is the company’s development term for a formula approved to move into later testing; it does not mean every product has already changed on store shelves.

The company also says it has been developing two natural-dye formulations per product. That approach is intended to give its teams options if a color source, manufacturing condition or shelf-life result changes. Since June 2025, Kraft Heinz says its new North American products have not used artificial colors, citing JELL-O Simply and Kool-Aid Hydration as examples. The update does not provide a single conversion date for every existing product, so shoppers should continue to read the ingredient list on the package they actually buy.

Why the kitchen tests matter

Natural color sources do not always behave like certified synthetic colors. Kraft Heinz says its teams are checking appearance, taste, texture and culinary performance, including what happens when products are exposed to heat, light or other ingredients. Its newsroom photographs show culinary testing with naturally colored JELL-O recipes, rather than a simple color comparison in a package mock-up.

The company describes a particular challenge with blue and green shades. Light in a shop and heat in an oven can make color matching harder, and the same formula may look different in a packet, in a bowl or after baking. For JELL-O, Kraft Heinz says its team tested common consumer recipes and looked at conditions such as high heat and mixtures containing eggs, which can affect the final color. That information is useful for cooks because a reformulated dessert may still be safe to prepare in the same way while producing a different visual result.

Kraft Heinz also says it uses equipment to simulate a year of store-light exposure in seven days for products such as Kool-Aid Burst. That is a shelf-life test described by the company, not an independent performance result, and it should not be read as a guarantee that every reformulated product will look identical over time.

What shoppers and cooks should do now

There is no reason to change a recipe solely because Kraft Heinz has announced this programme. Use the preparation directions and storage instructions printed on the current package. If appearance matters—for example, when choosing a gelatin dessert for a layered dish, decorating a cake or mixing a brightly colored drink—check the ingredient list and the product label before buying. The same brand name can cover formulas that change at different times.

It is also worth separating a preference claim from a safety claim. Kraft Heinz’s own FAQ says FD&C colors are approved by regulatory authorities. Its 2026 update is about removing, replacing or redesigning colors in response to consumer preferences and product-development goals; it does not say that the products being reformulated were unsafe. “Natural” also describes the source of a color, not a guarantee that a finished food is healthier, allergen-free or suitable for every diet.

For people who rely on a particular color or ingredient for dietary reasons, the practical check remains the label on the exact pack. Look for the full ingredient list, allergen statement and preparation instructions, and check again when a package design or formula changes. If the appearance is different but the cooking directions and ingredient information are unchanged, treat it as a product update rather than trying to compensate with extra heat, extra dye or a longer set time.

A deadline, not a finished reformulation

Kraft Heinz’s stated target is the end of 2027 for removing FD&C colors from its U.S. portfolio, while the company says most of that portfolio is already free of them. The latest report shows how much testing sits between a public commitment and a final recipe: formulation, sensory work, consumer feedback, plant trials and shelf-life checks. Until each product is updated, the most reliable information for home cooking remains the package in front of you.

Sources

• Official source: news.kraftheinzcompany.com
• https://news.kraftheinzcompany.com/stories-details/2026/Inside-Kraft-Heinzs-Work-to-Remove-FDC-Colors-2026-nCC0-KRpvB/default.aspx