Walmart's big clean-up: Artificial colours, 30 food additives to get eliminated from store brands by 2027

Walmart announced on Wednesday that it plans to eliminate over 30 food additives—including synthetic dyes, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and fat substitutes—from its private-label food products sold in the US.

The changes, expected by January 2027, will impact around 1,000 items, including snacks, baked goods, beverages, salad dressings, and frostings.

This move comes in response to the growing awareness among American consumers and the US government, regarding food ingredient transparency. Food policy experts view the step as a major response to rising demand for cleaner, less-processed foods.

Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Reports, called Walmart’s initiative “a significant and well-considered step” given the wide reach of its private-label brands in US households, as quoted by the Associated Press (AP).

A broad impact on store brands

The bulk of the reformulation effort will focus on Walmart’s Great Value brand. Additional changes are expected in other in-house lines like Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and the premium Bettergoods label. Walmart said it would introduce reformulated items in stores over the coming months.

Notably, Sam’s Club, a Walmart division, recently pledged to remove over 40 additives—including aspartame and artificial colours—from its Member’s Mark products by year-end.

Tossed from the cart

Walmart’s list includes several chemical preservatives and additives such as potassium nitrate, potassium nitrite, potassium bisulfite, and artificial sweeteners like advantame and neotame. Some additives, like synthetic dyes and phthalates (used in plastics), have long been criticised by health advocates.

The company also aims to remove ingredients such as titanium dioxide, azodicarbonamide, propylparaben, and potassium bromate—all of which have sparked concerns over possible health risks. Some ingredients on the list, like Red No. 3 and trans fats, have already been banned or largely phased out in recent years.

Walmart said that alternative ingredients are now more widely available and can maintain product taste and quality. For instance, Great Value cheese dips will replace synthetic colours with natural options like paprika and annatto. Similarly, Fruit Spins Cereal will use beta carotene, spirulina, and juice concentrates instead of artificial dyes like Red No. 40 and Blue No. 2.