General Mills To Replace Colors in Cereals and K-12 Foods by Next Summer
General Mills became the second (maybe a tie for first) big food company to promise to remove synthetic colors from products. Big G said it will remove “certified colors” from all its U.S. cereals and all K-12 school foods by summer of 2026. And it will “work to remove” certified colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.
The big cereal company made the announcement June 17, the same day that Kraft Heinz said it will not launch any new products in the U.S. with Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) colors and it will remove the remaining FD&C colors from its U.S. product portfolio before the end of 2027. But Big G’s announcement went unnoticed.
“This change impacts only a small portion of General Mills’ K-12 school portfolio, as nearly all its school offerings today are made without certified colors,” the announcement said. “Similarly, 85% of General Mills’ full U.S. retail portfolio is currently made without certified colors.”
This is General Mill’s second attempt at removing synthetic food dyes. In 2016, the company switched to using natural sources, such as turmeric, strawberries and radishes, in its colorful Trix cereal in the hope of appealing to parents who were concerned about ingredients in their children’s food.
The cereal’s neon colors were muted, and the blue and green pieces had to go entirely because the company couldn't find natural replacements. In subsequent months, Trix sales declined and Big G went back to synthetic colors a year later.
“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,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO. “Today, the vast majority of our foods are made without certified colors and we’re working to ensure that will soon apply to our full portfolio.
“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,” he continued. “We’re committed to continuing to make food that tastes great and is accessible to all."
General Mills also noted its sugar-reduction work in its K-12 school portfolio, doubling vitamin D in General Mills’ cereals in 2023 to help close nutritional gaps and reducing sodium by 20% across key product categories since 2019.
