WK Kellogg has brought forward its target to remove artificial colours from its breakfast cereals, with a new threshold for the end of this year.
In a statement yesterday (6 August), WK Kellogg said production of its reformulated recipes, including for Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, will “begin later this year, with food shipping to retailers before year-end”.
The company also said it is ahead of schedule in removing the preservative BHT from the limited amount of cereal packaging that still contains it.
The new timeline is one year earlier than the company’s previous pledge to remove Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) colours from the small share of its retail cereal range that still uses them by the end of 2027.
WK Kellogg said yesterday it will “switch to colours derived from natural sources, including fruit and vegetable juices, as well as other plant-based ingredients”.
It added it has invested in manufacturing capacity to support the switch.
Doug VanDeVelde, WK Kellogg's chief growth officer, said: “More and more consumers are looking for foods made with simple, recognisable ingredients and we are proud to meet those expectations, even sooner than planned.”
He added the company had carried out “extensive consumer testing” to maintain “the original rainbow of colours” in products such as Froot Loops.
The announcement comes less than a year after Texas attorney general Ken Paxton said WK Kellogg had signed what he described as a “legally binding” agreement to remove artificial food colourings from its cereals by the end of 2027.
Paxton opened an investigation into WK Kellogg in April 2025 over whether some cereals marketed as “healthy” contained petroleum-based artificial colourings.
His office later said the company had entered an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance.
Since President Trump took office, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a campaign – under his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative – to urge major food manufacturers to phase out the use of artificial dyes.
The US Food and Drug Administration has also created an online “tracker” of pledges companies have made to remove FD&C colours.
In June, Mars announced plans to launch four confectionery products in the US made without artificial dyes.
