McCormick Working With Industry To Reformulate Products To Remove Potentially Banned Ingredients

With U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. targeting food dyes and other potentially hazardous food ingredients, McCormick is looking to revamp some products. By proactively working on recipe reformulations, the company likely wants to get ahead of any prospective legislation that could ban certain ingredients it uses.

McCormick’s Ingredient Overhaul: Staying Ahead of Potential Bans

McCormick, which manufactures spices, seasoning mixes, and other baking ingredients, sells to commercial food companies as well as to consumers. CEO Brendan Foley said there has been “a tick-up in reformulation activity” and new product launches among food companies.

While food dyes only make up a small portion of McCormick’s product line, it is on board with Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. The company has also been actively reducing the salt content in several of its products.

Improving nutrition and eliminating toxins in food are the main goals of the MAHA initiative. The movement seems to be taking hold as more and more companies are reworking products to meet the requirements for healthier ingredients as proposed by HHS.

Red Dye No. 3 Banned by US Government

A study conducted in 1990 found higher cancer rates among rats that consumed Red Dye No. 3. However, the research did not definitively conclude that the ingredient puts humans at risk. As such, the pigment, used to make brightly colored foods such as cupcakes, gummies, and toasted pastries, remained an approved food additive until just recently.

In January, Red Dye No. 3 was specifically targeted by the federal government as a potential toxin. In a move directly affecting U.S. food companies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Red Dye No. 3.

Not long after the FDA’s ban announcement, McCormick said it was already working on removing the banned red colorant from its products. However, the seasoning giant did not provide details on how it would replace the additive.

“It’s important to note that we have very limited use of Red 3 in our branded retail products and had already begun the process of removing Red 3 prior to the FDA ruling,” said company spokesperson Kendra Ferguson, per The Baltimore Banner.

Other food manufacturers have also been reformulating to remove the offending ingredient. Many have already replaced Red Dye No. 3 with more natural alternatives like beet or red cabbage juice.