Will Your Great Value Products Look the Same? Walmart Plans to Eliminate All Synthetic Dyes From Its Products

As part of his initiative to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), President Trump chose Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., also known as RFK Jr., as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). One of RFK Jr.'s first decisions in his new role? Getting rid of food dyes.

After the FDA's announcement earlier this year about phasing out artificial dyes, we've already seen many companies announce a plan to eliminate these ingredients from their products.

Walmart is next on the list of businesses jumping on the bandwagon. In a statement on October 1, 2025, Walmart stated it would be removing synthetic dyes and 30 other ingredients from its U.S. private brand products.

With the move to phase out any synthetic dyes entirely, products at Walmart won't be the only ones affected. In this slideshow, we'll discuss what you need to know about Walmart's announcement and show you 11 other foods that may be affected by the food dye ban.

This post was updated in September 2025 to include updated information about Walmart and the move to eliminate synthetic dyes.

On October 1, 2025, Walmart released a statement about the future of its U.S. private brand products. The announcement stated Walmart would be eliminating synthetic dyes and 30 other ingredients from its U.S. private brand foods.

Although the statement from Walmart claims that about 90% of Walmart U.S. food private brand products are already free of synthetic dyes, this decision is an attempt to "provide customers with affordable, high-quality private brand products," according to the statement.

Walmart will be removing 11 sythentic dyes from all private brand products. The dyes include:

• FD&C Blue 1
• FD&C Blue 2
• FD&C Green 3
• FD&C Red 3
• FD&C Red 4
• FD&C Red 40
• FD&C Yellow 5
• FD&C Yellow 6
• FD&C Citrus Red
• FD&C Orange B
• Canthaxanthin

Walmart is not only eliminating all synthetic dyes from its products — it's also eliminating 30 other ingredients. These other ingredients are a combination of preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and fat substitutes. You can view the full list of ingredients here.

The elimination of food dyes and other artificial ingredients currently only applies to the U.S. private brand products from Walmart. This includes brands such as Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and bettergoods.

However, the overall ban on food dyes will impact a lot more products than just the ones at Walmart. Here's a look at 11 different foods that currently contain synthetic dyes.

PEZ is still a favorite among children even though it's been around for nearly a hundred years. Not only do kids love eating this candy, but kids and adults alike have been collecting PEZ dispensers with all their favorite characters since the 1990s. However, the ingredients in PEZ include Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 2.

Although they're common Easter egg fillers, Brach's Jelly Beans are a treat that can be enjoyed year-round. There are many popular jelly bean manufacturers out there, but Brach's Candy has been making jelly beans since the 1910s. Their classic jelly beans include dyes such as Red 40, Blue 1, and Red 3.

Froot Loops have been the center of attention in many of RFK Jr.'s rallies against food dye. Although Kellogg's announced back in 2018 that it would remove all artificial food dyes from its ingredients list, these dyes can still be found in certain cereals in the U.S. It does take time for companies to find replacements for ingredients and implement these changes, but Froot Loops will likely look different considering the ingredients list includes Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1.

Food dye is a common ingredient in many decorating items, including Betty Crocker's Red Decorating Icing. The dye is what gives icing its bright, vibrant color. But with the FDA planning to phase out eight artificial dyes this year, companies like Betty Crocker will have to find alternatives to the dyes they currently use in their icing, including Red 3, Red 40, and Yellow 6.

Even though chocolate milk is a classic choice, strawberry milk is another type of milk that kids love. TruMoo is one of the most popular brands, known for its creamy and sweet milk flavors. However, their current ingredients list includes Red 40 and Red 3.

Food dye is normally associated with sweet treats, but you'll find these artificial colorings in other types of food as well. MorningStar Farms uses Red 3 food dye to make their vegetarian bacon strips look more like bacon. The ingredients also include Yellow 6.

The strawberry shortcake flavored ice cream bars made from Good Humor are a treat many of us loved growing up, and they're still popular today. However, they don't get their vibrant color without the help of some artificial color. Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bars include Red 40 and Red 3.

Many companies have scrambled to change their recipes since the banning of Red dye No. 3 was announced earlier this year, but this food dye is commonly used in certain hot dog and sausage recipes. The dye is meant to give these foods a bright, appealing color, such as the color of Maine Red Snappers made by W.A. Bean & Sons.

Artificial dyes are often found in decorated items, such as cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. Sometimes it's in the frosting, other times it's in the sprinkles. The frosted sugar cookies that can be found at grocery stores such as Target and Walmart usually contain Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, and other dyes.

Red dye 3 is not only in foods – it's found in many drinks as well. The strawberry-flavored nutrition shake from Ensure contains Red 3. It's also found in other protein and nutritional shakes, such as Kellogg's Special K Rich Chocolate Protein Shakes.

Little Bites Muffins are a yummy treat kids love enjoying for breakfast or a mid-day snack. One of the favorite flavors is the Party Cake Muffins, which include rainbow sprinkles. Although these muffins are free of high fructose corn syrup, they do have Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1.