BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — WK Kellogg Co. announced this week an accelerated timeline to eliminate all artificial colors and the preservative BHT across its full portfolio of cereals and cereal packaging. 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 will switch to colors derived from natural sources, including fruit and vegetable juices and other plant-based ingredients. WK Kellogg has made a significant investment in its manufacturing facilities to support the transition to natural colors at scale, while maintaining the same great taste and quality that consumers expect and deserve.
The transition also reflects the company’s recent launch of the SPOONS on-pack nutrition guide and its commitment to the simplicity (the “S” in SPOONS) of its cereals.
“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, 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.”
From its earliest days, WK Kellogg Co has been a pioneer in advancing nutrition, from hiring the industry’s first in-house dietitian in 1923 to introducing on-pack nutrition information in 1939 and championing the benefits of fiber. That legacy continues as the company evolves its cereal portfolio to meet changing consumer needs by increasing whole grains and fiber, reducing sugar and sodium and delivering essential vitamins and minerals families typically don’t get enough of…