Walmart’s innovation center showcases the following: clean labels, bold new flavors
FOX Business’ Kelly Saberi joins ‘Claman Countdown’ for an inside look at Walmart’s massive effort to eliminate artificial dyes and artificial ingredients from your food without raising costs for consumers.
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, says it is keeping its pledge to keep costs low while removing artificial dyes and 30 other ingredients from its private label products by January 2027.
Walmart offers 18 of its brands, seven of which generate nearly $1 billion a year alone. Scott Morris, senior vice president of private label food products and accessories, gave FOX Business Network a tour of Walmart’s 23,000-square-foot Culinary and Innovation Center to see how the company’s products are developed.
“Customers are changing that package, that bag, or looking at those ingredients more than ever before,” Morris said. “More than half of consumers actually agreed and looked at those ingredient labels. And they wanted things that were simple. They wanted things that were transparent, and they wanted things that they could pronounce and understand.”
The entrance to Walmart’s Culinary and Innovation Center in Bentonville, Arkansas. (Walmart Inc. / Fox News)
WALMART ELIMINATES SYNTHETIC FOODS IN SUSTAINABLE FOODS
Walmart’s secret products are already 90% dye-free — while lines like its Bettergoods are made entirely without artificial ingredients.
This announcement includes the removal of artificial dyes, flavors and other preservatives, artificial sweeteners and other fat substitutes.
Walmart is launching a new private label grocery store that doesn’t feature any national brands. (Walmart)
The move comes as companies such as Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo and General Mills have made similar promises.
As a nationwide retailer, company executives say they let consumers lead the way.
This comes as the team at Walmart explores the country and the world to learn new ways to eat. Products include stuffed pastry bread with raspberry rose jam and cardamom, ube dinner rolls, chicken wings with spicy dill dry rub and cacio e pepe arancini.
Although the offerings feel high, Morris said they don’t believe the products are the best. They aim to make food accessible.
A box of Great Value Berry Crunch cereal at Walmart’s Culinary and Innovation Center in Bentonville, Arkansas. (Walmart Inc. / Fox News)
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“We’re over 450 items so far, and the product reception has been great,” Morris said. “We had a very high turnover and turnover, but most importantly, we brought 60% of people to the private sector that were not there yesterday.”
The latest consumer price index data shows that overall food prices rose nearly 3 percent in September from a year ago. Meanwhile, 70% of Bettergoods products are priced at $5 or less.
Walmart’s private food brand, Bettergoods. (Walmart)
Walmart also offers a number of other holiday items, such as cookies that start under $20. Some of their baked goods come with interactive features like a Dr. Seuss-themed cake with an opening door, or candy and gumballs that pop out of the cake like a piñata when cut.
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Katie Miles is a mastermind behind the delivery of in-store treats as the bakery’s senior product development manager. His team created a Dubai-style chocolate cake, a nod to the dangerous social media trend of 2024. Miles says every family should be able to buy a special holiday cake while staying within their budget.
| A ticker | Security | Finally | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | Company WALMART INC. | 115.66 | +0.24 |
+0.21% |
“We try to make entertaining easy, and desserts are like that,” says Miles. “When you spread your vacation, you’re going to have leftovers. We want to be able to use those leftovers, so there’s no waste.”
Cake at Walmart’s Culinary and Innovation Center in Bentonville, Arkansas. | Fox News
His team shares new ways to make customers happy with what they already have. For example, Miles used leftover pumpkin pie to make a hushpuppy pancake batter dish, served with a side of caramel sauce.
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“I [holiday] the season can be very difficult for people at times,” said Denise Wright, Walmart’s vice president of personal products in food. “And our goal is to solve our customers’ problems and reduce that stress level.”
