Cereals served in school cafeterias no longer contain synthetic food dyes, the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an Aug. 19 news release, the result of settlements the office reached with WK Kellogg Co. and General Mills Inc.
The agreements grew out of a months-long investigation into the safety of certain ingredients in cereal products, followed by weeks of negotiation, according to the release. Paxton’s office secured the General Mills settlement in 2025 and reached a similar agreement with Kellogg’s afterward.
The terms reach well past the lunch line. Under its agreement, the office said, Kellogg’s committed to permanently removing artificial food colorings from all of its cereal in the United States by the end of 2027, and separately agreed to remove synthetic dyes from cereals served in schools by July 1, 2026, in time for the new school year. General Mills agreed to remove synthetic food dyes from its cereals and food sold in schools by the end of the summer and from its entire product portfolio by the end of 2027.
Both companies have now removed the dyes from cereals served in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to the release, with brands including Froot Loops and Trix using 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,” Paxton said in the release. He said the companies had agreed to clear the dyes from retail products by the end of 2027, adding, “but I fought to ensure that children would not have to wait.”
Paxton said the office will continue pressing on food ingredient questions, calling the outcome “a major victory for the health of our children.” The broader retail commitments remain due by the end of 2027, leaving the two companies more than a year to complete the transition across the rest of their product lines.