Gatorade drops artificial dyes
- Gatorade announced it replaced FD&C artificial colors with FDA‑approved plant‑based dyes from fruits and vegetables. (x.com) - The social post drew widespread praise, logging about 78k likes on X. (x.com) - Commenters urged other beverage and food brands to adopt similar natural‑dye changes. (x.com)
Gatorade said April 16 it will remove artificial FD&C colors from key products and switch those drinks to colors from fruits and vegetables. (pepsico.com) The first changes hit the powder stick lineup later this spring. Three of Gatorade’s top ready-to-drink flavors — Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime, and Orange — in both Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero are scheduled to change later this fall. (fooddive.com) PepsiCo said the reformulated drinks will use colors from fruits and vegetables instead of certified FD&C dyes while keeping the same bright look shoppers recognize on shelves. Mike Del Pozzo, president of PepsiCo Beverages U.S., said the company is trying to keep “the bold Gatorade color people know and love.” (fooddive.com) FD&C colors are the synthetic dyes the Food and Drug Administration allows in food, drugs, and cosmetics after premarket review. The agency says color additives “exempt from certification” generally come from sources such as vegetables, minerals, or animals. (fda.gov) The shift lands as regulators and states press food companies to move away from petroleum-based dyes. The Food and Drug Administration said in April 2025 that it was working with manufacturers to eliminate six widely used certified color additives from the food supply by the end of 2027. (fda.gov) States have also started writing their own rules. West Virginia enacted a law on March 24, 2025, banning several dyes from school meals starting August 1, 2025, and from food sold in the state starting January 1, 2028. (governor.wv.gov) California moved earlier on school food. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law on September 28, 2024, barring public schools from serving foods containing six synthetic dyes, including Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1. (gabriel.asmdc.org) For PepsiCo, Gatorade is part of a broader reformulation timetable. Food Dive reported the company is aiming to remove artificial colors from its portfolio by the end of 2027, while Gatorade’s dye changes are being rolled out in stages during 2026. (fooddive.com) The dye change is bundled with a wider Gatorade refresh aimed at selling beyond sports. PepsiCo said April 16 that the brand is updating packaging, adding new hydration products, and leaning on what it calls 60 years of hydration research as it tries to reach more everyday drinkers. (pepsico.com)
