Popular food manufacturer Kellogg’s has signed a legally binding agreement to remove all toxic dyes from its products by the end of 2027.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that a “months-long investigation and ongoing negotiations” have now culminated in an “historic Assurance of Voluntary Compliance,” or AVC, that legally certifies their agreement.
“Following months of investigating and negotiating, I’m proud to officially say Kellogg’s will stop putting these unhealthy ingredients in its cereals,” said Attorney General Paxton in a statement.
“The signed AVC demonstrates that Kellogg’s is committed to keeping this pledge, and I commend the company for doing the right thing,” he continued. “I encourage other food manufacturers to sign similar agreements to demonstrate their commitment to helping Americans live healthier lives.”
Although some other companies have publicly indicated that they intend to make similar shifts in the coming years, Kellogg’s is the first to make the switch official.
In February, Paxton’s office issued a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) to Kellogg’s, formally announcing his investigation one month later.
In short, CIDs essentially function as demands for information in a non-criminal investigation.
Texas decided to take this step and begin investigating the company after Kellogg’s claimed it would remove petroleum-based food colorings from products sold in the United States but failed to do so.
Instead, Paxton’s office reports that it removed these ingredients from products sold in Canada and Europe but continued putting red, yellow, and blue dyes in American cereals.
Click Here to Read Attorney General Paxton’s Full Statement
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced earlier this year that it would be phasing out the use of petroleum-based food colorings in the United States entirely.
According to an April press release from the agency, the FDA is working with the industry to remove the six remaining synthetic dyes from America’s food supply by the end of next year.
“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr said in a statement. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development. That era is coming to an end.”
Click Here to Read the FDA’s Full Statement
Kellogg’s AVC is said to represent a major milestone toward the accomplishment of this goal, as it is the first time that a company has entered into a legally binding agreement to remove these chemicals from their products.
In June, Kraft Heinz announced that it would voluntarily be removing artificial food dyes from their products, noting that 90 percent of items they offer already use natural coloring options.
Products that currently still contain synthetic dyes are said to include Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, Jell-O and Jet-Puffed.
About ten years ago, the company replaced the artificial coloring in Kraft Mac and Cheese with natural alternatives like paprika and turmeric.
Similarly, General Mills announced earlier this summer that it would be removing artificial dyes from any of its products that are offered in America’s schools by this time next year. Dyes are set to be eliminated from their products entirely by the end of 2027.
