Froot Loops are changing this year. Will kids notice?

By the end of 2026, Froot Loops and Apple Jacks will get an overhaul, as parent company Kellogg's has promised to remove all artificial dyes in its cereals.

WK Kellogg Co announced on Aug. 6 that production of new cereal recipes, without artificial colors and the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), will begin later this year, with boxes shipping out before the end of 2026. BHT is a preservative added to foods, drinks and skincare to extend shelf life.

As part of a nationwide push to remove artificial colors and flavors from products, Kellogg's will switch to colors derived from "natural sources," including fruit and vegetable juices and "other plant-based ingredients," according to a Kellogg's news release. Kellogg's told USA TODAY on Aug. 7 it is not disclosing further information about these ingredients.

Officials push for removal of artificial dyes

The announcement comes more a year after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened and closed an investigation into Kellogg's for marketing "healthy" products, despite containing "petroleum-based artificial food colorings that have been linked to hyperactivity, obesity, autoimmune disease, endocrine-related health problems and cancer in those who consume them."

In August 2025, Paxton and Kellogg's signed a voluntary compliance, which certified that the company would remove all artificial food colorings from its cereal by the end of 2027.

In April 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that eight artificial dyes would be eliminated from food and medication in the U.S. by the end of 2026. For years, Kennedy has blamed the nation's "chronic disease epidemic" on food additives. He also helped push for the Make America Healthy Again agenda, incorporated by President Donald Trump.

Will the cereals taste or look different?

The cereals will maintain their taste and original colors, Kellogg's said in a news release.

"We conducted extensive consumer testing to make sure these recipes deliver the great taste consumers want while maintaining the original rainbow of colors – red, orange, yellow, green, purple and blue – that fans of Froot Loops and other colorful cereals have come to love," WK Kellogg Co.'s Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer, said in the release. "It wasn't easy but we identified natural solutions for every color and we're confident families will love the updated recipes and simplified ingredients without compromising on quality or taste."

Though Kellogg's said it will maintain its colors while switching to synthetic-dye-free products, that may not be the case for Mars, the company that makes M&Ms.

Mars announced in June that blue and brown M&Ms may be removed from some of its candy mixes during a transition phase, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Colors like red and yellow were easy to replicate with ingredients like beetroot and turmeric, but the brand's cerulean blue and brown are harder to get right. Mars' choice of spirulina, a type of algae, produced a desirable look but "gummed up" factory machines and caused issues with consistency and texture, The Wall Street Journal reported.

What artificial ingredients are currently in Kellogg's cereals?

According to the Kellogg's website on Aug. 7, Froot Loops contain Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6 and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), while Apple Jacks are made of Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40 and Blue 1.

Ingredients like Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1 are synthetic dyes used to give food, drugs and cosmetics color.

Do artificial ingredients cause irreversible damage?

In January 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Red No. 3, an additive that gives food and drinks a bright, cherry-red color. Studies have shown that male lab rats exposed to high levels of Red No. 3 develop cancer, but humans are typically exposed to much lower levels of the additive.

In California, and the entire European Union, Red 40 is banned as some studies link the artificial food dye to ADHD in children. However, the FDA says that most children have no adverse effects to the additive.

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].