Brands Ditch Dyes as Natural Color Costs Soar

Food companies racing to eliminate artificial dyes are increasingly choosing to go colorless altogether rather than pay escalating premiums for natural alternatives.

The shift comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed the food industry to phase out synthetic colors by the end of 2026.

Bloomberg reported that natural colorant costs are poised to skyrocket as the industry races to reformulate. Carotenoids derived from pumpkins could climb roughly 600% in price and curcumin from turmeric more than 3,000%, according to a report commissioned by the National Confectioners Association.

The push to reformulate is landing with a wary public. Datassential’s Health in the MAHA Era report found that 58% of consumers agree that companies and institutions cannot be trusted on health and wellness issues, up 8% versus 2025. 

The colorless pivot is not without precedent or risk. Major food companies made similar commitments to remove synthetic colors roughly a decade ago, only to backpedal after products with natural dyes underperformed, Food Dive reported. This time, many are sidestepping the reformulation challenge entirely. 

PepsiCo launched dye-free versions of Cheetos and Doritos last December under a new Simply NKD line, framing it as an expansion of consumer choice rather than a full reformulation. Jel Sert, maker of Otter Pops, Fla-Vor-Ice, and Kool Pops, is removing all color from its push-up treats by early 2028, relying on printed packaging imagery rather than the color of the product itself to signal flavor. Kraft Heinz plans to strip color from Kool-Aid Jammers next year, while PepsiCo’s Gatorade Zero, Gatorlyte, and Propel electrolyte powders have gone colorless, given that consumers typically mix them in opaque water bottles.

Operators also face structural hurdles when it comes to removing artificial dyes from their menus. Datassential’s Midyear Trends 2025 report revealed that only 5% of operators say none of their menu includes ultra-processed foods or ingredients, and 69% agree such ingredients are hard to avoid in foodservice — a challenge that has grown more urgent as state-level bans move from proposals to law.

Consumer acceptance of colorless reformulations is higher than expected, in part, because skepticism of bright colors is widespread. Datassential’s Health, Safety, and Avoidance report found that 53% of consumers associate brightly-colored foods with being heavily processed.