Nestle plans to remove artificial food colourings from its complete global product range by the end of 2026, a senior executive told Reuters on Tuesday, making the company the first major food producer to set such a worldwide target.
The announcement, delivered in an exclusive interview at Nestle’s Swiss headquarters in Vevey, builds on steps the firm has already taken in the United States, where it has eliminated artificial colourings from its portfolio. Stefan Palzer, Nestle’s technology chief, said the company will extend that work across its markets.
"By the end of the year we will have the global Nestle portfolio free of artificial colours," Palzer told Reuters. He characterized the decision as the product of years of investment rather than an easy or immediate change.
Palzer said the transition required sustained research and development to identify and validate natural alternatives. "It was not a slam-dunk," he said, noting that Nestle had to screen natural solutions, test them in production processes and verify their impact on shelf-life before rolling them out.
The shift comes as food companies increasingly face pressure to offer products perceived as healthier. The rapid expansion of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and rising consumer scrutiny of ingredient lists have amplified demand for simpler recipes and for products without synthetic additives, Nestle said in the conversation.
Food manufacturers and retailers have moved to strip ingredients such as FD&C synthetic dyes and certain sweeteners, including corn syrup, from their goods. Investors have expressed concern that packaged food companies may lose market share if consumers move toward healthier diets, prompting firms like Nestle to refocus product development on weight-conscious consumers and customers wary of processed foods.
Palzer summed up the consumer-driven rationale: "We did it because consumers don’t appreciate artificial ingredients. They want simpler recipes." He emphasized the practical work behind the change, including production trials and shelf-life testing, as part of the company’s multi-year effort.
Regulatory attention also figures in the broader debate. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the Food and Drug Administration said in April last year the agency aims to remove ingredients including artificial food colourings, citing possible links to conditions such as ADHD, obesity and diabetes. The agency’s stated aims coexist with scientific calls for further research into those links, a point Palzer acknowledged indirectly by stressing the need for rigorous testing of replacements.
Nestle’s global timeline to eliminate artificial colourings reflects both consumer-driven market dynamics and the technical hurdles companies face when replacing long-standing ingredients. The company’s public confirmation of a 2026 deadline makes it the first major packaged foods company to set a firm global endpoint for this particular ingredient change.