WALMART is removing the synthetic dyes from its private-label food brands, affecting everything from cereals to cakes and sodas.
The guidance comes from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., who has fought for “harmful” food dyes to be removed from things like Skittles and Gatorade.
Walmart is making the change across all of its private-label brands[/caption]
The synthetic dyes are commonly found in candies[/caption]
Back in January, Walmart was forced to remove the dye called Red 3 from its products, which gives foods an artificial bright red appearance.
The dye is most commonly used in candies and things like maraschino cherries.
Now, the retailer has said that it will take out synthetic dyes as well as 30 ingredients from its private-brands across all of its stores and website.
Walmart expects the changes to start rolling out over the next few months and be fully completed by January 2027.
Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said that this move was being made due to feedback from shoppers.
He said: “Our customers have told us they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients and we’ve listened.”
Walmart has said that brands including Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and Bettergoods will all undergo the overhaul.
According to Fox Business, Walmart told the outlet that customers had been asking for the move before Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) campaign.
The retailer also added that shoppers don’t need to worry about higher price points as a result of the shift away from the dyes.
It said this is because the company’s scale allows it to mitigate any possible price hikes.
CHANGES ARE COMING
Kennedy Jr. has been touting these changes ever since his appointment under Donald Trump.
In an April press release, the Health Secretary said that Americans were being fed “poisonous” chemicals without their knowledge.
He said: “For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent.
“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development. That era is coming to an end.”
Trump’s Tylenol announcement explained by a doctor
President Donald Trump and his administration’s health experts strongly advised woman to avoid taking Tylenol during pregnancy, claiming it increases the risk of autism.
What does the report say?
- Trump announced on September 22, 2025, that the US Food and Drug Administration will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.”
- However, Trump and his health experts, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, did not cite a scientific study.
How much is too much?
- Dr. Zaid Fadul, the chief executive officer for Bespoke Concierge MD, a nationwide concierge medical group, told The U.S. Sun that taking Tylenol “three or four times a day” over an extended period a time can raise concerns.
- “One Tylenol during pregnancy is unlikely to do anything,” Dr. Fadul said. “Very unlikely. But if you’re taking Tylenol three times a day or four times a day for the course of six months, I’m sure there’s going to be some negative effect.
- “The challenge here is trying to figure out what’s reasonable. It’s a moving target. Everybody’s different. People have different DNAs. People have different backgrounds. They have different underlying health conditions.”
What is an alternative to Tylenol?
- Dr. Fadul recommended staying hydrated as other alternatives to taking Tylenol when dealing with a high fever.
- “High fever is a huge metabolic load on the body. And so you get dehydrated quickly because your body is trying to maintain their core temperature,” Dr. Fadul said.
- “And so certain things that should be obvious, like maintaining hydration during fevers, can go a long way. A fever can feed back on itself. You start about you try to do evaporative cooling and your temperature starts to rise.
- “Then you use water to try and cool yourself off and you start getting dehydrated, which then further enhances the fever. So the tried and true things of staying hydrated always help, and using, I would even with my patients use cool towels and rags.”
- However, Dr. Fadul said the usage of Tylenol in severe situations is necessary.
- “Stil, to use Tylenol in that situation because of the patients having high fever, we have to control that fever. We don’t want pregnant women walking around with this. Where I would say to be careful is to keep using Tylenol excessively over the course of a week or two. That’s the take home message I have is be judicious.
- “If you need it, if you have a high fever, I’m not saying don’t do it. I do think you should talk to your OB about that and figure out why you have a fever and make sure you’re treating the underlying issue in the first place and try and mitigate with lifestyle temperatures.
- “If you’ve got a high fever, you shouldn’t be walking around in a sweater and thick clothes. These things, these small things add up over time. But I still think Tylenol is something that you can use during pregnancy. You just have to be careful how much you’re using. I think that’s the take home point here.”
What is the best advice for pregnant women?
- “Do not take medical advice from TikTok,” Dr. Fadul recommended.
- “The take home point here should be that you’re working with your OB closely, figuring out what the issues are, incorporating lifestyle modifications wherever you can, whether it’s helping with back pain from the pregnancy or helping control fevers and not relying on what your best friend did. It’s working closely with your doctor. Creating a tailored plan is always the best approach.”
The Health Secretary notably clashed with Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren over vaccines.
JOIN THE CLUB
The Walmart-owned retailer Sam’s Club was also recently forced to make a similar change due to changing health policies in the government.
In June, Sam’s Club announced its intention to eliminate over 40 ingredients from its private label brand Member’s Mark.
The targeted ingredients included things like artificial colors and aspartame, which is an artificial sweetner.
The company said that this change, which targets 96% of Member’s Mark products, will be completed by the end of the year.
Sam’s Club had previously announced its plan to do this back in 2022, and committed to selling foods with “high-quality ingredients”, according to Sam’s Club Chief Merchant Julie Barber in a press release.
Sam’s Club has already rolled out healthier options for popular snacks.
The retailer now sells cookies and snacks without artificial colors.
OTHER MANUFACTURERS
Other major food manufacturers have announced plans to cut out harmful food dyes.
General Mills, which provides school lunches, said that it would tweak its cereals and school foods for children between Kindergarten and 12th grade.
Congara, which owns a range of brands like Bird’s Eye, has made the same pledge.
Kraft Heinz has announced plans to remove dyes from all of its foods by 2027.
