WK Kellogg says it will eliminate artificial colors and the preservative BHT from all of its cereals by the end of 2026, moving the transition up by a year as more consumers seek products made with simpler ingredients.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WK Kellogg announced Thursday that it will remove artificial colors and the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT, from all of its cereal production by the end of 2026, accelerating a change the Michigan-based company had previously expected to complete by the end of 2027.
The company originally announced the transition in August 2025, but now says the reformulated products will reach consumers sooner than planned, according to the Associated Press. The decision comes as President Donald Trump’s administration pursues its Make America Healthy Again agenda and federal health officials have pressed food manufacturers to reduce the use of artificial dyes. Fox Business also highlighted the announcement, with a related social-media post circulating after the company disclosed the accelerated timeline.
In its Thursday announcement, WK Kellogg said its cereals will transition to colors derived from natural sources, including fruit and vegetable juices and other plant-based ingredients. Reformulated versions of Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Kellogg’s Apple Jacks are among the products expected to enter production later this year, with shipments to retailers beginning before the end of 2026.
“Production of cereals with the new recipes, including Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Kellogg’s Apple Jacks, will begin later this year, with food shipping to retailers before year-end,” the company said.
WK Kellogg said it has invested significantly in its manufacturing facilities to make natural coloring feasible on a large commercial scale while preserving the taste, appearance and quality consumers associate with the brands. The company said extensive testing was conducted to reproduce the familiar appearance of colorful cereals using ingredients from natural sources.
“More and more consumers are looking for foods made with simple, recognizable ingredients and we are proud to meet those expectations, even sooner than planned,” said Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer at WK Kellogg Co. “We conducted extensive consumer testing to make sure these recipes deliver the great taste consumers want while maintaining the original rainbow of colors — red, orange, yellow, green, purple and blue — that fans of Froot Loops and other colorful cereals have come to love. It wasn’t easy but we identified natural solutions for every color and we’re confident families will love the updated recipes and simplified ingredients without compromising on quality or taste.”
The accelerated change follows growing pressure on the food industry from consumers, activists and federal health officials. In March 2025, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told food companies that he wanted artificial dyes removed from their products. By July, Kennedy announced that nearly 35% of the U.S. food industry had committed to eliminating artificial dyes.
Kellogg had also faced years of pressure to remove artificial ingredients from its cereals, according to the AP. The company has already eliminated such ingredients from products sold in countries including Canada. In 2024, dozens of people gathered outside Kellogg’s headquarters and delivered petitions containing 400,000 signatures calling on the company to remove artificial dyes and BHT.
The new timetable means WK Kellogg expects its cereal manufacturing to be free of artificial colors and BHT by the end of this year, a full year earlier than originally planned, while maintaining the familiar colors and flavors of products such as Froot Loops and Apple Jacks through fruit, vegetable and other plant-derived ingredients.
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