Campbell's to eliminate artificial food dyes from products in win for MAHA

Campbell’s has announced that it will be removing all synthetic dyes from its foods and beverages starting in fiscal year 2026. This comes as the Trump administration, and particularly Robert F Kennedy Jr, have been making a push with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

Campbell's announced on September 3, "In the second half of our 2026 fiscal year (March-August), we will no longer produce any of our food or beverages with FD&C colors." The company touted the transition to a "commitment to making great food" as providing consumers with "simpler, recognizable ingredients."

"The transition means that Lance crackers and V8 Splash will use colors derived from natural sources, such as annatto and purple carrot juice concentrate. Our regional Snacks brands such as Jay’s, O-Ke-Doke and Tom’s and cookie brands like Archway and Stella D’oro will also no longer use FD&C colors," a press release from Campbell's added.

The move follows other food companies, such as Nestle, pledging to eliminate artificial food dyes from their products. Nestle made the announcement in July. Others, such as PepsiCo, have also followed suit. The food giants have been pressed by the Trump administration on the topic of food dyes since Kennedy announced the elimination of petroleum-based dyes from food as well as medicines by the second half of 2026.

The announcement from Kennedy was made alongside FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in April, where Makary said, "For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals. The scientific community has conducted a number of studies raising concerns about the correlation between petroleum-based synthetic dyes and several health conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, genomic disruption, GI issues, and allergic reactions."

Kennedy met with "Big Food" companies in March to discuss the plans, including PepsiCo, Kraft, Heinz, Tyson, General Mills, and Kellogg's.