A blue raspberry Icee made from natural dyes? It's possible, but don't count on it, says the CEO of J&J Snack Foods, the maker of the iconic carbonated slushie.
Snack companies have reformulated their offerings to lower sugar and remove artificial ingredients in response to expanding GLP-1 use and pressure from the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement. But J&J, which manufactures treats meant for occasional indulgences, so far has managed to rebuff these threats that have weighed heavily on their competitors.
Built around the motto, “Fun served here,” J&J’s roughly 30 brands are available across nearly every retail channel — from movie theaters and amusement parks to supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants.
For consumers grabbing a SuperPretzel at a ballgame, Dippin’ Dots at an amusement park, or an Icee at the movie theater, J&J said its snacks are part of the experience. GLP-1s and the MAHA movement so far have had “a negligible” impact on J&J’s foodservice business, which makes up nearly two-thirds of the company’s sales, according to J&J CEO Dan Fachner.
“In most cases, our product is really experiential, and so we're a little insulated from some of the GLP-1 fears, or the MAHA fears, that have kind of spooked a lot of the traditional snack companies,” Fachner said.
This has helped at least partly protect J&J’s sales, which have been under pressure from a broader pullback in consumer spending impacting the economy and a decision by the snack maker to cull low-margin SKUs and implement other initiatives intended to boost productivity.
The New Jersey company said during its first quarter ended Dec. 27 that sales were $343.8 million, down 5.2% from the same period a year ago.
Despite its experience-driven focus, J&J hasn’t lost sight of the fact that consumer tastes are changing or that state and local governments could one day pass laws altering the food ingredient landscape, forcing the company to respond.
It’s a big reason why J&J is working to make its portfolio “better” for consumers without affecting the taste, launching new, trendy products and preparing for a handful of worst-case scenarios.
In a room near Fachner’s Nashville office, for example, J&J is testing out natural dyes for Icee, including blue for its popular blue raspberry flavor, in case state or federal governments decide one day to restrict the use of synthetic colors.
J&J is unlikely to make the switch to natural dyes on its own anytime soon, however. Fachner noted the higher cost for the color replacements, customer expectations for the Icee product and other obstacles.
“If somebody called tomorrow and said, ‘You can't sell anything with the artificial dye in it, I want to be ready to jump into action,” he said.
Indulgent treats adopt a healthier halo at retail
J&J also is leaning into health trends for its retail lineup carried at thousands of U.S. stores.
A few years ago, Fachner instructed his team to look into its sprawling snack portfolio to identify ways to make it more attractive to health-conscious consumers, including those taking GLP-1 medications. Fast forward to this year, where J&J is preparing to launch smaller pretzels and options with protein or whole grains.
Changes are also coming to its Luigi Real Italian Ice line to better position it for today’s consumers. Usually found in a cup, J&J is adding mini pops with hydration and immunity benefits to the lineup in the second quarter.
“The world's always going to turn, so as an organization, we have to learn to turn with it, and not stick our feet in the sand and say, 'We have these great products. They're all experiential. We don't have to do anything,” Fachner said. “That's not true.”
But even as J&J makes changes to meet the demands of today's health-conscious consumers, it's careful not to promote all its achievements, even ones that competitors wouldn’t hesitate to publicize. The CPG company has taken dyes out of some products over the years to comply with government requirements, including Red No.3, which was banned in early 2025. J&J also reduced calories in Icee.
“Neither one of those things do I advertise. We're doing the right things as an organization to make sure that we fit within government guidelines and what is healthy for the consumer,” he said. “And yet you want to be careful not to take it so far that you walk away from what the consumer is really looking for.”
