Walmart is making a major change to the way it formulates its private-label foods. By January 2027, the retailer plans to remove all synthetic dyes and roughly 30 additional ingredients from brands such as Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and bettergoods.
Why This Change Matters
This shift reflects what shoppers have been asking for: simpler ingredient lists, cleaner labels, and more transparency. Walmart has shared that a growing number of customers read labels closely and prefer foods without artificial colors or controversial additives.
What’s Changing in Walmart’s Private-Label Foods
Synthetic Dyes Are Out
One of the biggest changes is the elimination of 11 synthetic food dyes — the artificial colors responsible for bright reds, yellows, and blues in many packaged foods. These include commonly used dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 5.
30 Additional Ingredients Removed
Beyond dyes, Walmart is phasing out around 30 additional ingredients that have faced increasing consumer scrutiny. These include certain preservatives, artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and other substances that some shoppers prefer to avoid.
Walmart notes that the goal is to maintain the same taste and affordability that customers expect while cleaning up what goes into each product.
The Industry Impact
Walmart’s decision marks one of the largest clean-label commitments from a major U.S. retailer. Because of Walmart's scale, this move is expected to influence suppliers, national brands, and even competitors — potentially leading to broader changes across the grocery industry.
What It Means for Shoppers
For consumers, this means greater access to everyday food products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients. As reformulated items roll out over the next two years, shoppers may notice:
- Shorter ingredient lists
- More natural sources of color
- Cleaner labels without synthetic additives
