MAHA marches on as General Mills removes artificial dyes from cereals

The MAHA dominoes keep falling as major food companies eliminate artificial food dyes from their products, including breakfast cereals.

General Mills, the nation’s largest cereal maker, announced Wednesday that it had removed certified colors – synthetic chemicals such as Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5 – from all of its U.S. cereals. Breakfast favorites such as Lucky Charms, Trix and Cinnamon Toast Crunch now contain only natural food colorings.

“As the leader in cereal, General Mills is focused on giving people what they are looking for from the brands they know and love,” Bethany Quam, president of Big G Cereal at General Mills, said in a release. “This achievement reflects how we are evolving with consumer needs while continuing to offer food that tastes great, delivers quality and provides value.”

The move comes as major food producers announce or continue efforts to remove artificial additives, a trend championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

“Parents should NOT need a chemistry degree to understand what their children are eating,” Kennedy said earlier this month in Washington.

Kellogg’s, the nation’s second-largest cereal company, announced earlier this month that it would remove artificial dyes from its lineup by the end of 2027. Its brands include Froot Loops, Apple Jacks and Frosted Flakes.

Kraft Heinz and General Mills announced in June 2025 that they would eliminate food dyes from their products over the next two years.

In Wednesday’s announcement, General Mills said it had now removed the dyes from 90% of its products, with eliminations still to come in products including fruit snacks and baking products. The company previously removed the additives from foods served in schools.

As Heartlander News previously reported, the FDA is targeting six certified color additives widely used in processed foods: FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1 and FD&C Blue No. 2. The agency is also working to remove Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2.

These petroleum-derived dyes have been linked in studies to hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions and other potential health risks, putting pressure on regulators and companies to remove them.

“Parents and doctors have concerns about petroleum-based food dyes, which have no nutritional benefit,” then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, said in a 2025 release. “Given the epidemic we face of childhood diabetes, obesity, depression and ADHD, it’s common sense to work together to remove these chemicals as part of our broader effort to work to improve children’s healthy eating patterns.”

Other food companies that have cut or announced plans to eliminate the dyes include Conagra Brands, Nestle, Tyson Foods and PepsiCo.

On Sunday, Kennedy posted an extensive list of accomplishments since the Make America Healthy Again Commission launched in February 2025.

“Two years ago today, President Trump and I promised we would Make America Healthy Again,” he wrote on X. “Now, just 19 months into the Trump administration, HHS has delivered the most sweeping public health reforms in modern history.”