NEW YORK – WK Kellogg Co. is set to eliminate artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals over the next two and a half years. This move comes in response to growing demands from consumers and the U.S. government for food producers to remove synthetic colorings from their products. The company, known for brands like Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, shared its timeline amidst this push.

On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Kellogg had agreed to a commitment ensuring the Michigan-based firm will “permanently remove toxic dyes” from its cereals by 2027’s end. The company has assured the attorney general’s office of this transition.

Earlier this year, Paxton initiated an investigation to determine if Kellogg had breached state consumer protection laws by using artificial dyes such as blue, red, yellow, green, and orange. Simultaneously, U.S. health authorities recommended that food manufacturers voluntarily phase out petroleum-based colors.

Both Kellogg and General Mills, another leading U.S. cereal manufacturer, stated their intentions to make this shift. General Mills subsequently joined other major food companies, including Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Smuckers, in setting deadlines to eliminate artificial dyes from their entire product lines.

However, Paxton’s office highlighted Kellogg as the first to enter a “legally binding” agreement. He expressed satisfaction, saying, “After months of investigation and negotiation, I’m proud to confirm Kellogg’s commitment to removing these unhealthy components from its cereals,” he stated.

The specific terms of the agreement, known legally as an assurance of voluntary compliance, were not immediately detailed. While Kellogg did not directly address the agreement when contacted by The Associated Press on Thursday, the company expressed its gratitude for the collaborative efforts with the Texas AG’s office, emphasizing a shared focus on health and wellness.

Kellogg also pointed to its earlier commitment to phase out FD&C dyes, which are synthetic additives that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for use in food, drugs and cosmetics. It said it already planned to stop launching new products with the dyes in January.

“We have announced we are reformulating our cereals served in schools to not include FD&C colors by the 2026-27 school year,” Kellogg said in an emailed statement Thursday. By the end of 2027, “we will completely remove FD&C colors from the small percentage of our foods that contain them today.”

According to Kellogg’s website, 85% of the cereal the company sells contains no FD&C colors — and none of its products have included Red No. 3 for years. Federal regulators banned that dye from food in January.

Synthetic dyes have long been used to make brightly colored cereals, drinks, candies, baked goods and even products like cough syrup. But health advocates have called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children.

The FDA has maintained that its currently approved dyes are safe and that “the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.”

Pressure on the food industry has increased since Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken critic of such synthetic additives, became President Donald Trump’s health secretary.