Another Natural Color Reformulation: Jell-O Simply
Kraft Heinz on May 19 launched Jell-O Simply, made with no FD&C colors nor artificial sweeteners in ready-to-eat gelatin plus gelatin and instant pudding mixes. The company is calling them permanent additions to the brand’s portfolio.
The launch comes 13 months after Health & Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy strongly asked food & beverage processors to remove the petroleum-based colorants by the end of this year.
Added sugars and synthetic sweeteners also have been in the crosshairs of federal regulators, and the new line is made with fruit juice and contains 25% less sugar in the ready-to-eat gelatin line. “Half of parents are actively avoiding artificial sweeteners, and one in three ranks total sugar as their top concern,” says a company announcement.
There’s not exactly a rainbow of colors available so far. The ready-to-eat gelatin line, available now, offers longtime favorite Orange, along with two new-to-category flavors Raspberry Lemonade and Blueberry.
The gelatin and instant pudding mixes will be available nationwide in August in vanilla (made with real vanilla), chocolate (made with real cocoa), banana (made with real banana) and strawberry (made with real strawberry juice).
The company said the launch is a milestone in its continuing efforts to remove FD&C colors across its U.S. portfolio by the end of 2027.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.
