General Mills plans to remove certified colors from all its U.S. cereals and foods served in K-12 schools by the summer of 2026. Additionally, the company will work to remove certified colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.

For nearly 160 years, General Mills has been providing families with quality products across its portfolio of brands.

This change impacts only a small portion of General Mills’ K-12 school portfolio, as nearly all its school offerings today are made without certified colors. Similarly, 85% of General Mills’ U.S. retail portfolio is currently made without certified colors.

“Across the long arc of our history, General Mills has moved quickly to meet evolving consumer needs, and reformulating our product portfolio to remove certified colors is yet another example,” says Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of General Mills. “Today, the vast majority of our foods are made without certified colors, and we’re working to ensure that will soon apply to our full portfolio. Knowing the trust families place in us, we are leading the way on removing certified colors in cereals and all our foods served in K-12 schools by next summer. We’re committed to continuing to make food that tastes great and is accessible to all.”

For decades, General Mills has had reformulation capabilities and delivered products that meet a changing landscape. General Mills is the leading provider of whole grains to Americans, with other efforts including sugar-reduction work across its K-12 school portfolio, doubling vitamin D in its cereals in 2023 to help close nutritional gaps and reducing sodium by 20% across product categories since 2019.