Walmart is making a massive change to its grocery aisles. In line with the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, the retailer will strip synthetic dyes and more than 30 additives — including artificial sweeteners and preservatives — from all its store brands.
The overhaul will touch more than 1,000 products across Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and Bettergoods. Shoppers will see the new versions roll out in months, with full reformulation set by January 2027.
“Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients — and we’ve listened,” Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said. “By eliminating synthetic dyes and other ingredients, we’re reinforcing our promise to deliver affordable food that families can feel good about.”
The move matters. Walmart is the largest grocery seller in the nation, pulling in $276 billion in grocery sales last year alone. Changes at this scale ripple through households across America.
The push comes with backing from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a key figure in the MAHA movement. He’s been pressuring companies to eliminate synthetic food dyes and controversial additives. PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, and Sam’s Club have already joined the mission.
HHS is also teaming with the Department of Agriculture to reshape the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Several states now limit food stamp purchases, cutting out sugary drinks and candy under new waivers from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Kennedy has been blunt about the stakes. “We are spending $405 million a day on SNAP and about 10% is going to sugary drinks, and if you add candies to that, it’s about 13-17%,” he said in August.
“We all believe in free choice,” Kennedy continued. “We live in a democracy — people can make their own choice about what they are going to buy and what they are not going to buy. If you want to buy a sugary soda, you should be able to do that, but the U.S. taxpayer should not pay for it.”
“U.S. taxpayers should not be paying to feed the poorest kids in the country food that will give them diabetes,” he added.