Jell-O gets MAHA makeover with new dye-free, lower-sugar product line

Kraft Heinz is bringing a cleaner-label makeover to one of America’s most iconic desserts.

The company announced Tuesday that it is launching Jell-O Simply, a new line of gelatin products made without artificial sweeteners or FD&C artificial colors, as consumers increasingly seek foods with simpler, more recognizable ingredients. 

The updated recipe also uses real fruit juice and contains 25% less sugar than traditional Jell-O products, according to Kraft Heinz.

“For more than 125 years, Jell-O has brought colorful, jiggly fun to dessert tables across America,” Kraft Heinz said in a statement. “Now, one of the country’s most iconic food brands is entering a new era.”

A LOOK AT WALMART’S INNOVATION CENTER, WHERE CLEANER INGREDIENTS AND TRENDY FLAVORS TAKE CENTER STAGE

The launch comes as food companies face growing pressure from consumers and policymakers to simplify ingredient labels.

“We know families are looking for treats that strike the right balance between great taste and ingredients they can feel good about – and they don’t want to sacrifice the brands they know and love to get there,” Kathryn O’Brien, head of marketing of desserts at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement. 

“Jell-O Simply delivers everything people love about Jell-O – the delicious taste, the iconic jiggle and the vibrant fun – now made with no FD&C colors or artificial sweeteners. It’s a meaningful evolution for the brand and an important milestone in Kraft Heinz’s broader modernization journey.”

Jell-O Simply ready-to-eat cups are available nationwide now for $3.99 per four-pack and come in orange, raspberry lemonade and blueberry flavors.

TRADER JOE’S EXPANDS WITH 25 NEW STORES ACROSS 14 STATES IN MASSIVE GROWTH PUSH

Kraft Heinz said additional Jell-O Simply gelatin and instant pudding mixes will hit store shelves nationwide in August for $2.24 per box, with flavors including vanilla, chocolate, banana and strawberry.

The rollout is part of Kraft Heinz’s broader effort to eliminate FD&C artificial colors from its U.S. product portfolio by the end of 2027, including the entire Jell-O lineup.

The move comes amid increased federal scrutiny of synthetic food dyes.

In January 2025, during the final few days of the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Red 3 from the U.S. food supply.

ONE OF AMERICA’S OLDEST BEER BRANDS DISCONTINUED AFTER 177 YEARS IN US

A few months later, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA announced plans to phase out petroleum-based food dyes as part of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.

“We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement at the time. “And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”