By Elias Schisgall
General Mills has removed certified colors from its K-12 school foods portfolio.
The milestone is ahead of schedule for the food conglomerate, which had previously committed to removing the synthetic coloring additives from its school foods by the summer of 2026.
The final step was a reformulation of its Lucky Charms 25% Less Sugar Cereal, the company said Thursday. "We are proud to have reached this important milestone," said Pankaj Sharma, president of General Mills' North America Foodservice segment.
General Mills said it remains on track to remove certified colors from its cereals in the U.S. by the summer. It is also targeting removing the additives from its entire U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made phasing out artificial food dyes a major plank of his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. He said in April of last year that he would work with the food industry to remove petroleum-based dyes from the food supply.
Other food suppliers, including Conagra Brands, Walmart, and Kraft Heinz, have made similar commitments to strip out artificial colors from their products.
Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
03-05-26 1031ET
