Dive Brief:
- WK Kellogg signed a legal agreement with the Texas attorney general's office to remove artificial dyes from Froot Loops and its other cereals by the end of 2027.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the move represents the first time a food company has gone beyond a verbal commitment and signed a legally binding agreement to remove petroleum-based colors.
- WK Kellogg announced it would remove artificial dyes from cereals in late July. Texas has opened investigations into food companies including WK Kellogg and Mars this year for allegedly failing to live up to previous commitments around phasing out artificial dyes.
Dive Insight:
Food companies have made a slew of voluntary commitments to remove artificial dyes under mounting pressure from the Trump administration and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. However, these pledges have drawn criticism for a lack of enforceability.
WK Kellogg's agreement with Texas, called an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, marks a step toward keeping food companies accountable if they fail to follow through on their commitments. While details of the agreement were not made public, violating terms of an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance can often lead to civil penalties or other sanctions.
“The signed AVC demonstrates that Kellogg’s is committed to keeping this pledge, and I commend the company for doing the right thing,” Paxton said in a statement. “I encourage other food manufacturers to sign similar agreements to demonstrate their commitment to helping Americans live healthier lives.”
Texas in April opened an investigation into WK Kellogg for allegedly violating consumer protection law by failing to fulfill a pledge made in 2016 to remove artificial dyes. The state has opened a similar investigation into Skittles maker Mars, which announced last week it would release versions of Skittles, Starbursts and other iconic candies with natural colorings next year.
Members of the Trump administration hailed the Texas agreement, with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins calling it a “game-changing deal.”
“Kellogg’s is the first company to sign a legally binding agreement removing toxic dyes from cereal,” she wrote on X. “More to come!”
