Gatorade beverages will begin switching from artificial food coloring to plant-based dyes this year, the company announced.
A recent press release from the company explained that Gatorade is entering a “transformational new era,” which includes a “refreshed product label design, and product innovations designed for more people and more occasions.”
Three of the “big changes” coming to Gatorade include clearer benefit messaging, product innovation to address a range of needs, and new product formulas with lower sugar and no artificial colors.
“Gatorade is actively working to remove artificial colors from Gatorade products. Later this spring, the full powder stick portfolio will remove all artificial colors,” the company said. “Later this fall, three of the brand’s top ready-to-drink flavors in Gatorade Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero — Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime and Orange— will no longer contain FD&C colors, instead using colors from fruits and vegetables to retain the bold color that consumers expect from Gatorade.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated the move, stating on X, “Thank you, @Gatorade, for removing artificial FD&C colors and switching to newly @US_FDA–approved plant-based dyes from fruits and vegetables. I urge every food company to follow your lead and join us to Make America Healthy Again.”
The move comes as PepsiCo, which owns Gatorade, announced last year that it would be accelerating its transition away from artificial colors.
“But we’ll lead that transition, and in the next couple of years, we’ll have migrated all the portfolio into natural colors or at least provide the consumer with natural color options,” said PepsiCo Inc. Chair and CEO Ramon Laguarta. “And every consumer will have the opportunity to choose what they prefer. So that’s the journey we’re undergoing.”
