Utz Brands to eliminate FD&C colours from all products by 2027
Posted: 25 September 2025 | Ian Westcott | No comments yet
Utz Brands has pledged to remove all FD&C colours from its snack portfolio by the end of 2027, joining a growing number of US food manufacturers moving toward cleaner-label, additive-free products.
Utz Brands is removing FD&C colours from its snacks, including products like Utz Cheese Balls, by the end of 2027 as part of its clean-label initiative. Credit: Shutterstock
Utz Brands, the Hanover, Pennsylvania-based owner of On the Border and Boulder Canyon, has announced it will remove all FD&C colours from its product range by the end of 2027.
The company said that around 80% of its portfolio is already free of synthetic dyes approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food, drugs, and cosmetics. From this autumn, select packaging will also highlight the “real and simple” attributes of its snacks.
“Since 1921, Utz Brands, Inc. has been committed to making snacks with quality, transparency, and simple, trusted ingredients. As consumer tastes and government regulatory initiatives evolve, we adapt while staying true to the flavours and traditions people love,” the company said in a statement.
Industry-wide move to phase out synthetic food colours
Utz joins a growing number of US food manufacturers moving away from artificial colours. Kraft Heinz has pledged to remove FD&C colours from its US portfolio by the end of 2027, while General Mills plans to eliminate certified colours from cereals and K–12 school foods by summer 2026, extending the reformulation to its full retail range by 2027. Other companies making similar commitments include Campbell’s, Mars Wrigley North America, Nestlé USA, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, W.K. Kellogg, and Canoga Brands.
The shift comes amid calls from the US Department of Health and Human Services, with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advocating the removal of synthetic dyes through the Make America Healthy campaign. The FDA has also introduced a phased approach to remove petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, targeting completion by the end of 2026.
Utz said its decision reflects both evolving consumer preferences for cleaner-label products and ongoing regulatory developments, while maintaining the flavours and traditions customers expect from its brands.
Related topics
Clean Label, Flavours & colours, Food Safety, Ingredients, Labelling, Supply chain, The consumer
Related organisations
Boulder Canyon, Campbell’s, Canoga Brands, FDA, General Mills, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, Kraft Heinz, Mars Wrigley North America, Nestlé USA, On the Border, US Department of Health and Human Services, Utz Brands, W.K. Kellogg
