Sam's Club Completes A Major Change To All Member's Mark Food And Beverage Products

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Buying on a budget at a place like Sam's Club can sometimes leave you worried as to what is actually in your food that makes it so affordable, but with recent changes to Member's Mark products, that should be less of a worry. Member's Mark, the Sam's Club equivalent of Costco's Kirkland Signature in-store brand, announced back in 2022 that it was taking steps to eliminate over 40 ingredients that were considered "unwanted" by consumers. Changing long-running manufacturing processes and recipes takes time, and Sam's Club periodically released updates on its progress. Now the chain has announced that it has fully removed 100% of its targeted ingredients from its Member's Mark products.

Dubbed the "Made Without" list, the ingredients removed include synthetic dyes, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors, among others, which Sam's Club says were determined through member feedback. By starting in 2022, Sam's Club has actually led the way for Walmart stores in removing artificial ingredients, as Walmart itself only announced a similar plan last year. Removing all these ingredients was actually a major undertaking, as Sam's Club said it was committed to reformulating recipes so there was virtually no change in taste or appearance for its customers. The company also says that when it felt it couldn't remove these ingredients without changing the core product too much, it elected to remove the products from shelves entirely. So there will seemingly be some products that won't be available anymore, although the company has not revealed which.

Beyond the major ingredients called out by Sam's Club's press release, the company website has the full list of ingredients that were removed, many of which have the classic incomprehensible names associated with artificial ingredients. Some are more well-known, like the artificial sweeteners aspartame and saccharine. The list also includes the artificial fat substitute Simplesse, the curing agent potassium nitrate, preservatives like formaldehyde, and the whitening agent and bread additive azodicarbonamide. Despite all these changes to ingredients used to extend shelf life, Sam's Club is saying the prices of products should be largely unaffected.

While shoppers are sure to already be excited about so many Sam's Club grocery products being free from so many additives, the company has also revealed it isn't done removing ingredients. Sam's Club says that starting this year, it will be expanding the "Made Without" program to more sections of the store, including cosmetics and health and wellness products.

These changes could ripple through the industry as well. When major retailers like Sam's Club and Walmart start removing ingredients from products, it can lead to suppliers that work with other companies changing their formulations as well. While it's always hard to predict how far such changes will go, we could be looking at a sea change in how food is manufactured in the United States.