Walmart plans to remove artificial colors and other food additives from store brands by 2027

NEW YORK AP Walmart disclosed Wednesday that it plans to remove synthetic food dyes and other ingredients including specific preservatives artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes from its store brands sold in the United States by January The move declared by the the nation s largest retailer amounts to an acknowledgment that American consumers and the U S leadership under President Donald Trump are paying attention to what goes into packaged foods Walmart commented its goal would affect about products including salty snacks baked goods power drinks salad dressings and frosting Several of the ingredients on Walmart s removal list however already are banned not widely used or have not been used in the U S food supply for decades Others were included despite no known problems or have been targeted by the Trump administration for review and practicable elimination as an approved food additive according to food safety experts Still the action represents a sweeping declaration and a considerable response to consumer demand and sentiment for fewer additives in food commented Brian Ronholm director of food guidelines for the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports This is a good and well-thought-out list and represents a very positive step especially considering the reach their private label brands have in U S households Ronholm disclosed in a announcement Walmart reported the -month reformulation plan primarily would involve its largest private-label food brand Great Value Customers also can expect changes in Walmart s Marketside and Freshness Guaranteed lines of prepared foods and to specific extent in its premium label Bettergoods products the company noted In new months major food companies such as Kraft Heinz Nestle and Conagra Brands have pledged to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic dyes in coming years Walmart took its news a step further by identifying other kinds of food additives in its phase-out timeline The chemicals and compounds the discount retailer intends to eliminate encompasses the breadth of food manufacturing For example Walmart s list includes potassium nitrate potassium nitrite and potassium bisulfite which are used as preservatives in processed meats as well as the artificial sweeteners advantame and neotame Several of the items on Walmart s list have raised concerns about foreseen physical condition effects for a long time commented Thomas Galligan a scientist who focuses on food additives for the Center for Science in the Residents Interest an advocacy group Those include synthetic dyes titanium dioxide azodicarbonamide propylparaben potassium bromate and phthalates a chemical used to make plastic flexible Vitality advocates have argued that phthalates in plastic wrap plastic packaging and plastic bottles can end up in food and beverages The U S Food and Drug Administration has limited but not ended their use in items that come into contact with food But certain of the artificial food dyes detailed by Walmart were already banned proposed to be banned or haven t been used for years including Red No Red No Citrus Red No and Orange B The retailer also listed simplesse a fat substitute that was phased out of the U S food industry in and synthetic trans fatty acids or trans fats which the FDA effectively phased out the same year by determining that partially hydrogenated oils no longer were recognized as safe Experts noted certain of Walmart s choices were surprising Ronholm disclosed he was not aware of problems related to toulene anisole or morpholine three other additives Walmart plans to eliminate from its foods Center for Science in the Society Interest President Peter Lurie questioned the inclusion of talc on the retailer s list Galligan noted his agency considers advantame and neotame to be safe Overall though the initiative struck Galligan as a good commitment However as with any voluntary effort it is very easy for Walmart to make bold promises but it is a lot harder for them to follow through he revealed A great number of companies including Walmart have previously made and then broke promises similar to this so until we see reformulated products on store shelves this is all just talk Walmart disclosed the additives selected for banishment reflected the availability of viable and scalable alternatives for maintaining product quality taste and affordable pricing In June Walmart s wholesale club division Sam s Club noted it would remove more than ingredients including artificial colors and the artificial sweetener aspartame from its Member s Mark products by the end of the year Walmart shoppers also are likely to see reformulated food items in the coming months the company reported Among them Great Value cheese dips made with paprika and annatto a food coloring and spice that s derived from the seeds of the achiote tree in place of Yellow No and Yellow No Walmart mentioned In the future a new version of Great Value Fruit Spins Cereal will not get its colors from Red No Yellow No and Blue No but from beta carotene annatto blue-green spirulina and juice concentrates according to Walmart Scott Morris Walmart s senior vice president of private brands food consumables and manufacturing recounted The Associated Press that of Walmart s private label foods don t contain synthetic dyes He declared Wednesday s news marks an acceleration of a process the company initiated in the last scant years Customers have been asking Walmart to get rid of certain ingredients but replacing them with more natural alternatives is complicated Morris disclosed The performance of the substitutes can vary significantly depending on whether a product is shelf stable or necessities to be refrigerated he noted New versions need to be vigorously taste-tested with customers he added Every item s a snowflake Morris mentioned The main factor that prevented Walmart from overhauling its food shelves sooner was a limited availability of approved alternatives but the realm for those is increasing he noted Now s the right time to make our declaration and be more broad with our application of the natural ingredients Morris commented The federal governing body is also giving artificial food dyes increased scrutiny Days before Trump returned to office the FDA banned the dye called Red from the nation s food supply nearly years after it was barred from cosmetics because of anticipated cancer jeopardy Aleccia revealed from Southern California Source