Campbell’s Pulls Synthetic Dyes From Lance Crackers, Bets on Annatto
Campbell's has reformulated Lance sandwich crackers made in Charlotte, swapping petroleum-based dyes for annatto and turmeric extracts.
The orange in a Lance cracker now comes from a tree seed, not a petroleum lab. Campbell’s has finished reformulating the Lance sandwich crackers made at its Charlotte plant, replacing synthetic FD&C dyes with plant extracts.
TLDR
- Campbell’s removed synthetic dyes from Lance crackers made in Charlotte.
- Annatto and turmeric extracts now deliver the familiar orange.
- Paprika and beet juice were tested but not selected.
- The switch took nine months of lab and factory testing.
- Prices held steady, despite higher costs for natural colors.
Nine Months to Match an Iconic Orange
The Charlotte plant produces 17 Lance cracker varieties. Products named in the reformulation include ToastChee peanut butter sandwiches, ToastChee cheddar cheese, O-Ke-Doke cheese popcorn and Tom’s Nacho Rings.
The team spent nine months on lab work and factory testing. Paprika and beet juice were both trialed. Annatto, an extract from the seeds of the achiote tree, won out for baked crackers.
“For baking these crackers, annatto was the thing that worked best to maintain that orange color you’re familiar with,” said George Vindiola, head of research and development at Campbell’s.
Consumers Drove the Decision
Vindiola pointed to shopper sentiment as the trigger. “We were hearing a lot of commentary from consumers that they didn’t want FD&C colors in their food,” he said.
The change required no new capital investment at the plant, which employs roughly 1,400 people. Campbell’s kept prices unchanged, even though natural colorants cost more than the synthetic dyes they replace.
Why It Matters
Federal regulators want six petroleum-based dyes out of the food supply: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3. Baked snacks are a hard test for natural colors. Heat can dull or shift many plant pigments. A legacy brand hitting its signature shade with annatto shows the swap can work at scale.
Source: The Charlotte Observer, as reported by K104.7. Read the report.