Nestle plans to remove artificial colours from its entire global product portfolio by the end of 2026, extending a clean-label initiative that had previously been completed across its US business.
The commitment was confirmed by Stefan Palzer, Nestle’s Chief Technology Officer, marking one of the industry’s most significant global ingredient reformulation efforts to date.
“We will have the global Nestle portfolio free of artificial colours by the end of the year,” Palzer said.
The move reflects growing consumer demand for products with simpler ingredient lists and comes as food manufacturers face increasing scrutiny over ultra-processed foods and artificial additives. Rising adoption of GLP-1 weight-loss medications has also accelerated industry investment in healthier product portfolios and nutritional reformulation.
According to Palzer, the transition required years of research and development rather than a straightforward ingredient replacement.
“It was not a slam-dunk,” he said, explaining that Nestlé had to evaluate natural alternatives, test their performance during manufacturing, and validate shelf-life stability before rolling out the changes across its portfolio.
The announcement builds on Nestle’s earlier efforts in the United States, where the company had already eliminated artificial colours from its products. Expanding the initiative globally significantly increases the scale of the company’s clean-label strategy.
The broader packaged food industry has been moving toward ingredient simplification as retailers and manufacturers respond to evolving consumer preferences. Companies are increasingly reformulating products by reducing synthetic colours, preservatives, and other artificial ingredients while maintaining taste, quality, and product consistency.
The announcement also comes amid tightening regulatory attention in the United States. In April, the US Food and Drug Administration, alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., outlined plans to phase out several synthetic food colourings, citing concerns over their potential links to health conditions including obesity, diabetes, and attention disorders.
Source: Reuters
