Sam’s Club Pushes Ahead with Eliminating Artificial Dyes: A Battle for Vibrant, Natural Colors
In the competitive world of food production, Walmart’s Sam’s Club is leading the charge towards a more natural palette, aiming to phase out artificial dyes from its store brand, Member’s Mark, by the end of 2022. This move follows commitments from major brands such as Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Campbell’s, and Mars to eliminate synthetic dyes from their products.
The elimination of artificial dyes presents a challenge, particularly in creating vibrant, eye-catching colors that consumers have come to expect. As Nick Scheidler, head of product development at Sam’s Club, notes, “Color has been a challenge for us. We’re not going to send muted colors out into the market, right?”
The race is on as food manufacturers strive to find natural alternatives that maintain the bright hues associated with popular products like sports drinks and cupcake icing. This endeavor requires significant investment in research and development, as well as reformulations of existing recipes to accommodate natural dyes.
However, history offers a cautionary tale in the form of Trix cereal. In 2012, General Mills attempted to remove artificial dyes from its cereal and replace them with fruits and vegetables, only to face backlash from consumers who found the new version less vibrant and appealing compared to the original. As a result, the company reintroduced the synthetic dyes.
This incident underscores the importance of maintaining the familiar appearance of food products in order to meet consumer expectations. As Thomas Galligan with the Center for Science in the Public Interest observes, “General Mills framed this as a consumer demand issue: This is what consumers want.”
The preference for brightly colored foods extends beyond childhood snacks, with synthetic dyes found in nearly 20% of packaged food and drinks sold in the U.S., particularly those marketed to children. This preference is driven by both instinctive tendencies and marketing strategies that have conditioned consumers to associate certain colors with specific flavors.
For example, consumers may perceive strawberry drinks as paler than real strawberries, pickled peppers as more colorful than homemade ones, and mint ice-cream as unnaturally green. Even blue raspberry, a flavor not found in nature, is recognized due to its distinctive color.
As Sam’s Club nears its goal of removing artificial colors and other undesirable ingredients from its food offerings, the team is facing challenges in finding natural alternatives that maintain the desired vibrancy without altering flavors or increasing costs. Natural dyes can be finicky and less stable compared to their synthetic counterparts, requiring careful testing and reformulation.
Despite these challenges, Scheidler remains optimistic about meeting the end-of-year deadline and continuing to meet consumer demands for appealing, natural products. Consumer feedback indicates that color and appearance remain crucial factors in product selection, underscoring the importance of this effort.