WK Kellogg Co. will remove synthetic dyes from its cereals, including Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, by the end of 2027, joining a growing cohort of other U.S. companies that have committed to eliminate colorants such as Red 40 and Yellow 5 from their foods.
The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said it would remove the additives in an announcement posted to its website. The company had previously announced that it wouldn’t introduce new products with the dyes beginning in 2026 while also committing to eliminate the ingredients from its cereals served in schools by the 2026-2027 school year.
The cereal maker said 85% of its sales are in foods that don’t contain the dyes. Products with dyes include Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and some variations of Rice Krispies.
Candy company Ferrero International SA announced earlier this month that it agreed to buy WK Kellogg for an enterprise value of $3.1 billion.
Froot Loops in particular has been called out by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement to rid the U.S. food supply of artificial colors.
Activists and health officials in the Trump administration have linked artificial colors, which are primarily made from petroleum-based chemicals, to conditions including hyperactivity, obesity and diabetes in children. Companies and industry groups have long maintained that the ingredients are safe.
“It took government leaders in a position of power to educate the public and to fight for the removal of artificial food dyes for it to actually happen,” Vani Hari, an activist known as the Food Babe, said late Friday. Hari led a petition urging WK Kellogg to remove artificial dyes from its cereals.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” she said.
The announcement shows further progress for Kennedy, who has already notched a stream of commitments from U.S. food companies, including Conagra Brands Inc., Nestle SA, Kraft Heinz Co. and General Mills Inc. to remove synthetic dyes from large swaths of their food. Earlier this week, 40 ice cream makers said they would eliminate a number of artificial colors from their products by 2028.
Last Thursday, PepsiCo Inc. said it was removing artificial colors from its school foods, launching Lay’s and Tostitos with no artificial colors or flavors by the end of the year, and planning to introduce new all–natural versions of Cheetos and Doritos. Pepsi said in April it was moving its products into natural colors over the next couple of years.
The HHS and the FDA said in April that they would work with food producers to eliminate synthetic food dyes by the end of 2026.
– Will Kubzansky and Kristina Peterson / Bloomberg News
©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
