General Mills nixes ‘certified colors’ from all of its cereals in US

Food-manufacturing giant General Mills announced that all of its U.S. cereal offerings are now created without “certified colors.”

The company said it intends to remove “certified colors,” which it notes are “also known as synthetic color additives,” from all of its U.S. products by the end of next year.

“With all U.S. cereals – including Lucky Charms and Trix – now free from certified colors, 90% of General Mills’ U.S. retail portfolio has completed the transition,” the food giant said in a statement Wednesday.

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Miami Beach, Florida, Bay Supermarket breakfast cereal aisle. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The company remains on track to remove certified colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027, including fruit snacks and baking products,” the announcement noted.

General Mills previously tried removing artificial colors from Trix in the past but then ultimately chose to backpedal later and offer an option that included the popular vibrant colors again.

“As part of a commitment to remove artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources from all of its cereals by the end of 2017, General Mills is releasing its first wave of new cereal recipes, which includes Trix, Reese’s Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, Chocolate Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios and Fruity Cheerios. The family favorites are now available in the cereal aisle at local retailers nationwide and highlight no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources on the front of each box,” a 2016 press release noted.

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Golden Valley, Minn. General Mills World Headquarters. General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational company. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

But then a 2017 General Mills post on X, formerly Twitter, declared, “Have you heard?! ‘Classic Trix’ colors are coming back to brighten up your breakfast bowl!”

“Our Trix fans have been calling us, e-mailing us and reaching out to us on social media asking if we would consider bringing back the original formulation of Trix cereal with its vibrant colors,” then-General Mills spokesperson Mike Siemienas noted, according to a 2017 Food Business News report. “As a result, we are launching ‘Classic Trix’ to fill these consumer requests.  We will continue to offer our current formulation of Trix with no artificial flavors and no colors from artificial sources, which has its own fan base, along with Classic Trix. So both products will be available for consumers. Consumers have differing food preferences, and we heard from many Trix fans that they missed the bright vibrant colors and the nostalgic taste of the classic Trix cereal.”

Boxes of Trix currently for sale on the Walmart and Amazon websites list “Natural and Artificial Flavor” on the ingredients list.

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Boxes of General Mills owned Lucky Charms cereal are stacked at a Costco Wholesale store on April 4, 2025, in San Diego, Calif. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Betty Crocker and Pillsbury are some of the popular food brands within the company’s substantial portfolio.