General Mills says it's removed synthetic dyes from food produced for K-12 schools
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General Mills announced Thursday that it has removed synthetic dyes from all the food it produces for K-12 schools.
The Golden Valley-based company said it achieved that goal several months ahead of schedule. General Mills had announced its pledge to remove those dyes — also known as “certified colors” — last summer, amid increased scrutiny from consumers and the federal government.
“We are proud to have reached this important milestone,” Pankaj Sharma, president of General Mills’ North America Foodservice segment, said in a news release. “As a trusted partner to schools for more than a century, this is yet another example of listening to their needs and providing great-tasting products from brands students love.”
The company said the last cereal variety reformulated to meet the goal for its school food service business was Lucky Charms 25% Less Sugar.
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General Mills said it remains on track to remove synthetic dyes from all of its cereals sold in the U.S. by this summer, and from all of its other U.S. retail products by the end of next year.
The announcement came less than a week after another major Minnesota company — Target — announced it will stop selling cereals containing synthetic colors by the end of May.
The Minneapolis-based retailer said it’s been phasing out synthetic colors in cereals for several years. As of late last week, 85 percent of its cereal sales already come from products made without synthetic dyes.
Target said it has worked with national brands and its private brands to reformulate products as needed. Some cereals — including Trix and Lucky Charms, which are made by General Mills — will have updated formulations, Target said. Target said it will no longer carry brands that don't reformulate, but it didn’t name the brands.
General Mills said Friday that 85 percent of its U.S. retail portfolio — including brands like Cheerios and Cascadian Farm — is already free of synthetic dyes. The company said it doesn’t anticipate that Target will halt sales of any of its products.
The recent announcements acknowledge that American consumers and the U.S. government are paying closer attention to what goes into packaged foods. Last January, days before former President Joe Biden left office, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned Red 3, a petroleum-based dye.
A few months later, the FDA under President Donald Trump urged food makers to phase out petroleum-based artificial colors by the end of 2026. The agency is reviewing some other petroleum-based dyes, including Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and 6 and Blue No. 1.
Last month, the FDA said it was relaxing rules that restrict when food companies can claim that their products have no artificial colors. The agency said food labels may claim to have “no artificial colors” when they are free of petroleum-based dyes even if they contain dyes derived from natural sources such as plants.
Target isn't the first big retailer to nix artificial dyes. Whole Foods has never allowed products with artificial colors since its founding in 1980. Trader Joe's also doesn't use synthetic colors in its products.
Last year, Walmart said it planned to remove synthetic food dyes and 30 other ingredients, including some preservatives, artificial sweeteners and fat substitutes, from its store brands sold in the United States by January 2027.
In recent months, other major food companies like Kraft Heinz, Nestle and Conagra Brands have pledged to eliminate petroleum-based synthetic dyes in coming years.
