General Mills revealed Tuesday that it is initiating a sweeping phaseout of artificial coloring in all of its cereal products sold in the U.S., as well as in the meals it provides to K-12 schools.
In a press release, the company outlined its timeline: artificial colors will be fully eliminated from all U.S. cereals and school foods by the summer of 2026, with the rest of its American retail items following suit by the close of 2027.
“Across the long arc of our history, General Mills has moved quickly to meet evolving consumer needs, and reformulating our product portfolio to remove certified colors is yet another example,” Jeff Harmening, CEO and chairman of General Mills, said in the announcement.
Harmening also highlighted that “the vast majority” of General Mills products already do not contain certified colors.
“Knowing the trust families place in us, we are leading the way on removing certified colors in cereals and K-12 foods by next summer,” Harmening added. “We’re committed to continuing to make food that tastes great and is accessible to all.”
General Mills’ decision arrived on the same day as Kraft Heinz’s own announcement declaring an end to the rollout of new products containing artificial dyes, specifically those classified as Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors. Kraft Heinz also committed to removing such dyes from existing products by the end of 2027.
The push to eliminate artificial food coloring in widely consumed products has intensified since March, when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged major food manufacturers to discontinue their use of artificial dyes.
Breitbart News reported: “Kennedy has pledged to tackle chronic illnesses by overhauling the U.S. diet and food dye elimination is part of his plan for reform. He has encouraged fast-food chains to switch to beef tallow instead of seed oils for French fries, and pushed for bans on additives like food colors, as Breitbart News reported.”
The campaign escalated in April when Kennedy joined FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in declaring that “petroleum-based food dyes” would be phased out from both food and pharmaceutical products in the U.S.
The FDA followed with a separate pledge to collaborate with food producers in removing synthetic color additives, including FD&C Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, and Blue Nos. 1 and 2, from the nation’s food supply “by the end of next year.”
{Matzav.com}