Target on Feb. 27 announced it will quickly remove synthetic colors from the cereals it sells.
Target said in a statement that it will only sell cereals without artificial coloring come May. The change will apply to cereals available in stores, and online.
“We know consumers are increasingly prioritizing healthier lifestyles, and we’re moving quickly to evolve our offerings to meet their needs,” Cara Sylvester, Target executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said. “Our new cereal assortment made without certified synthetic colors makes it easier for busy families to make choices they feel good about, and shows what it means to curate a great assortment and lead with merchandising authority.”
Target already sells a range of products under its Good & Gather brand that do not contain artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. The products also are free of high-fructose corn syrup.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday shared news of the development on social media.
The pledge is the latest from retailers and food companies to produce and sell reformulated foods and drinks that do not have artificial colors, after Kennedy and other officials in 2025 said they were banning some of the approved colors and would work with companies to voluntarily remove the others.
Walmart, another retail giant, said on Oct. 1, 2025, it would be removing synthetic dyes and some artificial additives from its brands.
“Our customers have told us that they want products made with simpler, more familiar ingredients—and we’ve listened,” John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., said in a statement at the time. “By eliminating synthetic dyes and other ingredients, we’re reinforcing our promise to deliver affordable food that families can feel good about.”
General Mills, which makes a number of cereals, including Reese’s Puffs, recently said it would remove synthetic colors from all of its cereals by the summer of 2026, and aims to have all of its products free of the colors by the end of 2027.
Kraft Heinz, J.M. Smucker, and Nestlé are among the other companies that have pledged to remove synthetic colors from all or some of their offerings in the coming months.
A tracker of the pledges operated by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency that issued the color bans, lists nearly all of them as still in progress. It says that Tyson Foods, Walmart’s Sam’s Club, PepsiCo, and In-N-Out Burger have fulfilled commitments to phasing the colors out of some products.
This article was originally published by The Epoch Times.
