General Mills is joining the ranks of food companies who have removed artificial flavors and colors from their products. The company makes some of the most popular cereals in the country, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix, Cheerios and Lucky Charms.
The company noted that it conducted a study with Nielsen, finding that 49 percent of households are trying to avoid artificial colors and flavors. So, General Mills decided that it has to make a change. By 2016, they hope to have 90 percent of its cereals free from artificial flavoring and 100 percent by 2017.
The first cereals that will be affected are Trix and Reese’s Puffs. To retain the rainbow look for Trix, General Mills will use fruit and vegetable juices and spice extracts. The updated version of the cereals will be in stores this winter.
General Mills said that, before today, they already were making 60 percent of its cereals without artificial flavorings, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cheerios.
“At General Mills cereals, we have been upgrading the nutrition and ingredients in our cereals for years to meet people's needs and desires,” Jim Murphy, president of the General Mills cereal division, said in a statement. “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.”
Other companies that have recently cut artificial flavors include Kraft and Nestle.