2 Iconic Breakfast Cereals Get MAHA Makeover
Lucky Charms marshmallows and Trix puffs are no longer getting their neon look from petroleum-based dyes.
General Mills said Wednesday that every cereal it sells in the United States is now made without those certified colors, the Associated Press reported.
The Minneapolis company is using colors from fruit, vegetables, and spices such as turmeric and paprika instead.
The change covers their full U.S. cereal lineup, not only the two best-known kids’ brands.
Bethany Quam, president of General Mills’ cereal business, said the company is “evolving with consumer needs while continuing to offer food that tastes great, delivers quality and provides value.”
The cereal finish line was a summer 2026 target the company set last year, according to a General Mills announcement.
School-food products sold for K-12 cafeterias already dropped the dyes in March, months ahead of schedule.
About 90 percent of the company’s U.S. grocery items are now free of certified colors. Cake mixes and fruit snacks such as some Betty Crocker products and Fruit Roll-Ups still have to convert by the end of 2027.
This is not the first time Trix has gone “natural.” General Mills reformulated that cereal to remove artificial colors in 2015. However, it reverted back to the old recipe due to popular demand after shoppers said they missed the brighter hues, AP noted.
The political climate is different now.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pressured food manufacturers to drop petroleum-based dyes as part of the Make America Healthy Again effort, according to the Washington Examiner.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last year reached an agreement with General Mills to take synthetic dyes out of its products by the end of 2027 after investigating how the cereals were marketed.
Retailers have added their own pressure, with Target and Walmart announcing they would stop selling cereals with artificial colors.
The Food and Drug Administration last year banned Red 3 after animal studies raised cancer concerns. The agency has also said some children may be sensitive to certain dyes, though research on behavioral effects has been mixed.
WK Kellogg, which makes Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, has said it will remove artificial colors from its U.S. cereals by the end of this year.
Parents who grew up on the old boxes will notice the shift first in the bowl. The leprechaun and the rabbit are still on the boxes. The chemistry behind the color is not.
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