Walmart's Sam's Club to remove synthetic dyes from private brand by year end

June 5 (Reuters) - Walmart-owned WMT.N Sam's Club said on Thursday it would eliminate over 40 ingredients, including artificial colors and aspartame, from private label brand Member's Mark by the end of this year.

Under the initiative, called 'Made Without', Sam's Club is altering its food products and beverages to offer items that are in tandem with the evolving dietary preferences of customers as more people, mainly Gen Z and millennials, turn health conscious.

The move comes a couple of months after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr laid out plans to remove synthetic food dyes from the U.S. food supply, in a broader move to address chronic diseases and health conditions such as obesity among Americans.

Most of the packaged food companies are also working on their existing products as well as on introducing items without artificial dyes.

W.K. Kellogg KLG.N is reformulating its cereals served in schools to not include artificial dyes, and has said it would not launch any products with the dyes beginning next year.

Tyson Foods is also "proactively reformulating" food products containing petroleum-based synthetic dyes, which according to the company were to be eliminated from its production process by May end.

Sam's Club has already rolled out cookies and snacks without artificial colors. The retailer is also offering fresh sushi as part of its 'Made Without' program.