Major Brands Remove Harm­ful Dyes from Cere­als Served in Schools After Sign­ing His­toric Set­tle­ment with Attor­ney Gen­er­al Paxton

Attorney General Ken Paxton secured historic settlements with WK Kellogg Co. ("Kellogg's") and General Mills Inc. ("General Mills"), requiring the companies to remove harmful synthetic dyes from their products. As part of the agreements, Kellogg's and General Mills have removed synthetic dyes from their cereal products served in schools ahead of the 2026 school year.

In 2025, Attorney General Paxton secured the historic settlement with General Mills, which was followed by a similar settlement with Kellogg's. These landmark victories followed a months-long investigation into the safety of certain ingredients in cereal products and weeks of negotiation. Under the agreement, Kellogg's committed to permanently removing artificial food colorings from all of its cereal in the United States by the end of 2027. Attorney General Paxton went further to protect children by securing Kellogg's commitment to remove synthetic dyes from cereals served in schools by July 1, 2026, in time for the start of the new school year. General Mills also agreed to remove synthetic food dyes from its cereals and food sold in schools by the end of the summer and eventually its entire product portfolio by the end of 2027. Both companies have now removed the dyes from K-12 cereals. Iconic cereals, including Froot Loops and Trix, will now use alternative colorings derived from fruit and vegetable juices.

"Parents can now send their children to school with greater peace of mind knowing that the Kellogg's and General Mills cereals being served to their kids are free from synthetic food dyes," said Attorney General Paxton. "These companies agreed to remove these harmful dyes from products sold at retailers by the end of 2027, but I fought to ensure that children would not have to wait. Starting this school year, the synthetic dyes previously used in many school-served cereals are being replaced with colorings derived from fruit and vegetable juices. This is a major victory for the health of our children, and I will continue fighting to protect Texas families and advance the health of Texans."