Texas Attorney General investigates WK Kellogg over health claims on cereals; company faces scrutiny for continued use of artificial food dyes despite 2015 pledge to remove them

April 7, 2025 (Food Dive) –

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WK Kellogg Co is being investigated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for potentially violating the state’s consumer protection laws due to health claims tied to its cereals.

Paxton said Saturday that Kellogg is marketing some of its cereals as “healthy” even though many contain blue, red, yellow, green and orange artificial food colorings. He claims the additives have been linked to health-related issues such as obesity, autoimmune disease and cancer.

The Texas attorney general noted Kellogg announced in 2015 that it would remove artificial food dyes from its products in the U.S. in 2018 but that the company has failed to do so — despite removing the colorings from products sold in Canada and Europe .

“A critical part of fighting for our children’s future is putting an end to companies’ deceptive practices that are aimed at misleading parents and families about the health of food products,” Paxton said in a statement. “There will be accountability for any company, including Kellogg’s , that unlawfully makes misrepresentations about its food and contributes to a broken health system that has made Americans less healthy.”

A spokesperson with Kellogg did not respond to a request for comment.

Last year, Jason Karp — a WK Kellogg shareholder, as well as the founder and CEO of holding company HumanCo that invests in better-for-you food and beverage brands — called on the company to uphold its pledge to remove food dyes from cereals like Froot Loops and Apple Jacks. He was one of hundreds of people in 2024 protesting food dyes in cereals outside Kellogg’s Michigan headquarters.

At the time, WK Kellogg said more than 85% of its cereal products contained no artificial colors, and it was creating new cereals that do not contain them. The company added that all of the ingredients it uses are “compliant with all applicable relevant laws and regulations.”

The investigation from Texas’ attorney general, a close ally of President Donald Trump , comes as the White House puts pressure on food and beverage companies to improve the healthiness of their offerings as part of its “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.

The push to remove artificial food colors has been simmering for years, but the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr . to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has brought renewed attention to the effort.

In March, West Virginia signed into law a bill that restricted seven artificial dyes from food products sold in that state. Several other states have introduced bills aimed at food additives, including artificial colors, according to the Environmental Working Group .

Last year, the FDA announced it was banning Red No. 3, an artificial coloring popular in candy, cereal, cakes and other foods that has been linked in high doses to cancer in rats.

Several food companies have made pledges to remove artificial ingredients from their foods, only to scale back or delay their implementation. A major reason is that natural colors didn’t perform the same as their artificial counterparts, and consumers have been unwilling to buy formerly vibrant products with duller natural colors.