From breakfast cereal to snack bars, many products you eat may start to look a little different after a major manufacturer begins to nix the use of artificial dyes. As one of the largest US packaged food manufacturers, General Mills has revealed their plans to cut Red 40 and Yellow 5 fully from their lines.

 

General Mills, which produces a variety of brand products ranging from breakfast to dessert, issued a recent statement from CEO and chairman Jeffrey Harmening, stating that 85% of General Mills’ full U.S. retail portfolio is already made without certified colors. It also indicated that the company will move to remove artificial dyes from all of their products, especially those within their K-12 school portfolio. 

 

The change comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed to push companies to remove six synthetic dyes from U.S. food product supplies by the end of next year. Kennedy has openly spoken about health problems in children as a result of artificial dyes and additives and made eliminating them a part of his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative. 

 

Press Secretary Emily Hilliard for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Door County Daily News that companies removing artificial dyes is a step in the right direction.

 

“Secretary Kennedy and Commissioner Makary welcome General Mills’ decision to eliminate artificial dyes by 2027, which proves that when the government sets clear, science-based standards, the food industry listens and acts,” Hilliard said. 

The MAHA report outlines children’s vulnerability to harmful substances, including food and consumer products, and also highlights Health and Human Services’ commitment to focusing on protecting those most at risk. In addition to General Mills, Kraft Heinz also announced it will stop using artificial dyes by the end of 2027 and that synthetic colors will not be in new products.