PepsiCo phases out its artificial ingredients to meet consumer preferences
This move aligns with growing consumer demand for more natural options and follows recent regulatory actions targeting synthetic dyes in food.
USA – PepsiCo, a global leader in the food and beverage industry, announced that it has already been phasing out artificial colours and reducing other ingredients in its products to meet consumer preferences.
During a conference call with analysts on PepsiCo’s fiscal 2025 first-quarter results, Ramon Laguarta, CEO of PepsiCo, mentioned that the company has been at the forefront of transforming the industry by focusing on reducing sodium, sugar, and using healthier fats.
“We’ve been leading the transformation of the industry now for a long time on sodium reduction, sugar reduction and better fats,” Laguarta said.
He went on and said that 60% of the company’s food business does not have any artificial colours, so they were undergoing that transition.
“For example, brands like Lay’s will be out of artificial colors by the end of this year, and the same with Tostitos — some of our big brands. So we’re well underway,” he added.
The company emphasised confidence in the scientific safety of their products, while acknowledging the growing consumer interest in natural ingredients.
It conveyed a commitment to accelerating the shift toward more natural options in a pragmatic and well-coordinated manner, avoiding unnecessary disruption or concern.
Laguarta said, “We’ll lead that transition, and in the next couple of years, we’ll have migrated all the portfolio into natural colours or at least provide the consumer with natural colour options. And every consumer will have the opportunity to choose what they prefer. So that’s the journey we’re undergoing.”
The news comes after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the USA Department of Health and Human Services, and Marty Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, launched measures to eliminate all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the US food supply and steer food companies to natural alternatives.
Plans call for the FDA to phase out the six remaining synthetic dyes for food — Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and No. 6, and Blue No. 1 and No. 2 — by the end of 2026
In January, the FDA had ordered that Red No. 3 be out of USA foods and beverages by 2027, but the agency now requests that food companies do so sooner.
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