General Mills pledges to remove artificial colors and flavors from its cereal
Cereal maker General Mills plans to have more than 90 per cent of its cereals free of artificial flavors and colors by the end of next year.
The company, whose cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Cheerios, is the latest to clean up its offerings in the face of changing consumer tastes.
Earlier this month, both Nestle and Subway announced similar plans to free their food of preservatives and artificial flavorings.
According to General Mills, more than 60 per cent of its cereals are already without artificial flavors and colors.
Jim Murphy, president of the General Mills cereal division, said: “At General Mills cereals, we have been upgrading the nutrition and ingredients in our cereals for years to meet people's needs and desires. We’ve continued to listen to consumers who want to see more recognizable and familiar ingredients on the labels and challenged ourselves to remove barriers that prevent adults and children from enjoying our cereals.”
Trix will now use fruit and vegetables juices along with spices to color its cereal, while Reese’s Puffs will use peanut butter, cocoa, and natural vanilla flavoring. Both updated cereals will hit the store shelves this winter.