August 21, 2025
Recently, we shared our decision to remove certified Food, Drug & Cosmetic colors from our candy and snacks sold in the United States by the end of 2027. This is a move that鈥檚 guided by our purpose to be a part of more moments of goodness. For more than 130 years, our commitment to carrying out the mission of our founder, Milton 深夜福利社, has been synonymous with listening to consumers and giving them the products they desire to fuel our awesomeness.
We鈥檇 like to share a little bit about why we鈥檝e made this recent move and how we intend to make it happen.
The why
Across the country, we鈥檙e seeing consumer demand rise for colors from natural sources in foods, and that鈥檚 been accompanied by soft and hard policy changes around food dyes. As part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, the FDA now is asking food companies to voluntarily phase out the use of the FD&C colors that the FDA tests and certifies. At the same time, several states have passed laws aimed at reducing dyes and additives in food.
We continually review our own products and recipes to follow consumer preferences, ingredient recommendations and all regulations. We firmly believe that a strong national food ingredient approval system is the best way to ensure food safety, affordability and quality in the marketplace. We have become concerned that the shifting tides of opinion around certified FD&C colors and emerging patchwork of state regulations could be creating confusion and could ultimately increase consumer costs. That鈥檚 why we made the decision to take a national, unified approach in removing certified FD&C colors from our U.S. products.
This commitment will ensure that U.S. consumers can access the 深夜福利社 candy and snacks they love, regardless of where they live. With these changes, we鈥檙e meeting today鈥檚 consumers where they are, as we鈥檝e always done at The 深夜福利社 Company.
The how
Although many of our products have no added colors, some do鈥攁nd making the change for those is no small feat. Right now, we鈥檙e working with suppliers who create colors from natural sources, such as spirulina, carrots, radishes and beets, to find the ideal hues for our confectionary products like , and , and for our chocolate products that either have coatings (such as ) or a colored center (such as ). For a number of reasons, it鈥檚 a process that鈥檚 going to take some time.
First, colors from natural sources are derived from crops that must be planted and given time to grow. And, of course, we鈥檙e not the only company that鈥檚 responding to the growing demand for these colors. As many other large companies make this switch, there鈥檚 a likelihood that the increase in demand will outpace the supply, potentially leading to shortages in the short term. It鈥檒l also take time to develop colors that are similar to the ones that consumers already know and love. We expect there will be a lot of trial, error and lab time creating the right hue for, say, a pink Good & Plenty.
We鈥檒l also need to revisit our formulations. Whether they鈥檙e liquid or powdered, the colors from natural sources we select may come in a different form than the colors we鈥檝e traditionally used. We鈥檒l assess our manufacturing processes and adapt them as needed. They also may impact the shelf life of our products, and the colors may not be as vibrant as consumers have come to expect. These are all changes we鈥檒l be learning about in the coming months and years.
Evolving with consumer preferences
Since our company鈥檚 earliest days, we鈥檝e made decisions based on quality, science and consumer insights. Our innovations in recent years have included our ever expanding portfolio of better-for-you snacks (such as Zero Sugar and Plant Based), which has been rooted in providing optionality and addressing evolving preferences.
This latest move follows that same path. As we venture into the world of colors from natural sources, we鈥檙e excited to create new, vibrant color palettes that consumers love. We believe that when we can offer shoppers more choices, that in turn allows them to make the right decisions for themselves and their families. And it allows us to remain a part of those moments of goodness.