Sam’s Club Removes 40+ Artificial Ingredients From Member’s Mark Groceries

Avoiding unwanted artificial ingredients while grocery shopping may have just become a lot easier for many households.

Sam’s Club, the Walmart-owned membership-based warehouse chain, announced on June 5 that 96% of its private label Member’s Mark food and beverage products are now free from the ingredients listed on the brand’s “made without” list. This list includes roughly 40 ingredients, such as artificial colors, aspartame, and high-fructose corn syrup, which were “identified based on a combination of member feedback, nutritional guidance, and industry trends,” according to the bulk retailer’s announcement. 

Shoppers can view every ingredient that will be eliminated through this initiative on the Sam’s Club website. The major supermarket chain aims to meet evolving customer standards by ensuring that all food and beverage products are made with recognizable ingredients. 

Though this is already an impressive accomplishment and great news for Sam’s Club members, the chain isn’t stopping there — its goal is for all Member’s Mark food and beverage products to meet the “made without” standards by the end of 2025. Member’s Mark is a private label brand at Sam’s Club (just like Kirkland at Costco) that offers a selection of products available exclusively to members. 

Making these changes has been an ongoing process. Nick Scheidler, vice president of product and packaging at Sam's Club, explains to Food & Wine in an exclusive quote that “Reformulating hundreds of food and beverage items without compromising taste, quality, and shelf life was no small feat. We began working with our supplier partners back in 2022, meticulously identifying ingredient alternatives that would meet our new standards. Every decision, from recipe adjustments to new packaging, was rooted in what our members told us mattered most.”

Shoppers at Sam’s Club may have already noticed some changes, as the brand says it has “successfully introduced unique, first-to-market products made without artificial colors, such as its seasonally themed Member’s Mark Star Cutout Cookies and Member’s Mark Organic Fruit Twists.”

As Sam’s Club points out, another prime example of putting its “made without” standards into action is the store’s fresh sushi. Already available in 581 stores and set to launch at additional locations under the Member’s Mark brand by September, the sushi is prepared fresh daily, sustainably sourced, and free of ingredients on the “made without” list.

Insights provided directly by customers were the key driving factor behind this major change at Sam’s Club, as the brand places a strong emphasis on feedback from its Member’s Mark community. The corporate announcement details that the initiative was a direct result of the Member’s Mark community’s demands, “with 72% of members surveyed actively seeking minimally processed foods and 90% stating they either live or aspire to live a healthier lifestyle.”

In April 2022, as noted in a previous corporate statement, Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of private brands and sourcing at Sam’s Club, said, “As we continue to evolve the Member’s Mark brand, we intend to develop items that are reflective of the ingredients, processes, and materials our members want — and don’t want — in their products.” 

As evidenced by today’s news, Sam’s Club has continued to work toward this commitment, actively improving the quality of its Member’s Mark products and eliminating ingredients that may concern customers.

This major step towards greater transparency may pressure other large supermarket chains or consumer packaged goods companies to eliminate artificial ingredients from their products. As for Sam’s Club, the retailer intends to eventually expand beyond just food and beverage items, incorporating goods from the household, baby, and health categories into the “made without” fold as well.