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General Mills to eliminate artificial colours, flavours

General Mills cereals has committed to removing artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources from the rest of its cereals in response to consumers’ changing preferences.  Today, the company notes that more than 60% of its cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and original Cheerios are already without artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources and have been that way […]

General Mills cereals has committed to removing artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources from the rest of its cereals in response to consumers’ changing preferences.  Today, the company notes that more than 60% of its cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and original Cheerios are already without artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources and have been that way for a long time.

According to a survey conducted by Nielsen on behalf of General Mills, 49% of US households are making an effort to avoid artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources. To respond to this growing need, General Mills says its cereals will be using more recognisable, familiar ingredients to create its colours and flavours.

“At General Mills cereals, we have been upgrading the nutrition and ingredients in our cereals for years to meet people’s needs and desires,” said Jim Murphy, president of the General Mills cereal division. “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.”

General Mills cereals plans to have more than 90% of the portfolio free of artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources by the end of 2016. Consumer favourites including Trix and Reese’s Puffs will be among the first of the remaining brands to change. Trix will now use ingredients like fruit and vegetable juices and spice extracts such as turmeric and annatto to achieve the red, yellow, orange and purple colours. Reese’s Puffs will continue to use peanut butter and cocoa and incorporate natural vanilla flavour to achieve the same taste.Consumers can expect to see the updated Trix and Reese’s Puffs cereals on store shelves this winter.

“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us and we know some products will present challenges as we strive to uphold the taste, quality and fun in every spoonful of cereal,” saidKate Gallager, General Mills cereal developer. “Cereals that contain marshmallows, like Lucky Charms, may take longer, but we are committed to finding a way to keep the magically delicious taste as we work to take out the artificial flavours and colours from artificial sources.”