Kellogg said it will remove artificial colors from all its cereals by the end of this year, moving up a timeline the company set just last August by more than a year.
Kellogg had said in August 2025 that it would eliminate synthetic dyes from its cereals by the end of 2027. The company said it has since identified fruit- and vegetable-based juices that can replicate the distinctive colors of cereals such as Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, and has invested in equipment to support the transition to natural colors. Kellogg also said it is removing BHT, an artificial preservative, from the small number of cereals that still contain it.
“More and more consumers are looking for foods made with simple, recognizable ingredients and we are proud to meet those expectations even sooner than planned,” Doug VanDeVelde, Kellogg’s chief growth officer, said in a statement.
The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company has faced years of pressure to remove artificial ingredients from its cereals, a step it has already taken in other countries, including Canada. In 2024, dozens of people rallied outside Kellogg’s headquarters and delivered petitions with roughly 400,000 signatures calling on the company to remove artificial dyes and BHT.
That pressure has intensified under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has urged food companies to phase out petroleum-based artificial dyes. Kellogg also signed an agreement last August with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton committing to “permanently remove toxic dyes” from its cereals by the end of 2027.
Retailers have added further pressure. Target said earlier this year it would stop selling cereals containing artificial colors by the end of May, and Walmart has said it will remove artificial colors from its store-brand products by January 2027.