Nestlé will remove artificial colourings worldwide by end of 2026, as manufacturers face rising pressure to simplify recipes and reduce synthetic additives.
Nestlé has pledged to remove artificial food colourings from every product in its global portfolio by the end of 2026, a move that could position the Swiss food giant ahead of major rivals in the race to clean up ingredient lists.
The Vevey-headquartered company has already stripped artificial colours from its US portfolio and now plans to extend the reformulation across all markets, as consumers, regulators and investors intensify scrutiny of synthetic additives and ultra-processed foods.
“By the end of the year we will have the global Nestle portfolio free of artificial colours,” Stefan Palzer, Nestlé’s technology chief, told Reuters in an exclusive interview.
We had to do a lot of R&D work because you have to screen all the natural solutions then you have to test those natural solutions during production, and then also test their shelf-life.
We did it because consumers don’t appreciate artificial ingredients. They want simpler recipes.”
Stefan Palzer, Nestlé’s technology chief
Regulatory pressure builds
Food manufacturers and retailers have increasingly removed ingredients such as FD&C synthetic dyes and sweeteners including corn syrup from their products, as demand for simpler labels converges with growing public health scrutiny of packaged foods.
In the US, that pressure has moved beyond consumer preference and into regulation. Last April, the Food and Drug Administration announced an initiative to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the US food supply by the end of 2026 as part of the Make America Healthy Again campaign.
In February, the FDA followed with further measures to accelerate the shift away from petroleum-based synthetic colours. The regulator said manufacturers may now use ‘no artificial colors’ claims on products made without petroleum-based colours, even when they contain colours from natural sources.
The agency has also approved its sixth natural colour additive under the current administration, giving manufacturers more naturally derived options as they reformulate products.
Reformulation demands investment
Palzer said Nestlé had faced a significant technical challenge in removing artificial colours at global scale and described the decision as one that “was not a slam-dunk.”
“We had to do a lot of R&D work because you have to screen all the natural solutions then you have to test those natural solutions during production, and then also test their shelf-life,” he said. “We did it because consumers don’t appreciate artificial ingredients. They want simpler recipes.”
Nestlé’s pledge forms part of a wider push to strengthen its position in nutrition, weight management and health-conscious products, as packaged food groups face growing pressure to respond to changing diets and consumer scrutiny of processed foods.
Over the last 18 months, the company has launched products targeting those shifts, including Nestlé Vital, a science-based nutrition drinks range for healthy ageing, and protein-based drinks aimed at people on weight-loss journeys, including consumers using GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic.
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