On Friday February 27th; Target announced at the end of May they are banning synthetic food dyes from their cereals. The dyes include Red No.40, Blue No.1 and many more. Target will become one of the first national retail stores to not carry cereals with synthetic food dyes.
“We know consumers are increasingly prioritizing healthier lifestyles, and we’re moving quickly to evolve our offerings to meet their needs,” said Cara Sylvester, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer at Target said in a statement posted to their website. “Our new cereal assortment made without certified synthetic colors makes it easier for busy families to make choices they feel good about, and shows what it means to curate a great assortment and lead with merchandising authority.”
According to Target’s website, they’ve seen a shift of consumers buying cereal that doesn’t contain synthetic dyes.
The Target’s synthetic food dye ban will impact cereals like Froot Loops, Captain Crunchberries, Apple Jacks and Lucky Charms.
In addition to Target getting rid of cereals that carry synthetic food dye, all the cereals in store or online will not contain synthetic dye.
These cereals use dyes like Red No.40 and Blue No.1 along with other synthetic dyes that have health risks found in many childhood favorite cereals. That can be an immediate health risk, if not eaten in moderation, or aware of potential allergies.
Target states they’re working close- ly with brands to reformulate cereals that contain the dye while tasting as similar as possible in an attempt to keep consumer experience the same.
Target will still stock some cereals that will remain unchanged like Chex and Cheerios. In Target there are a few cereals that have no synthetic dye, like Cookie Crisp, Golden Grahams and Kix, etc. On the shelves at this moment.
However, not all general consumers are on the same page with Target about the change, geometry teacher Eric Bang’s annoyance is shown: “I think they’re doing too much, [cereal] isn’t going to taste good anymore,” geometry teacher Eric Bang said.
Some general consumers may not be as concerned about the possible health risks associated with synthetic food dye. They may wonder how it will change their go-to breakfast choices.
General Mills chooses to respect Target’s choice with the ban, however their actions have been unclear whether they will make their products without synthetic dyes; According to BBC News, “A spokes- person for General Mills said the company remains committed to removing certified synthetic colors from all US cereals by this summer.”
However, other manufacturing brands like WK Kellogg Company won’t make the change so soon. They plan to start removing artificial dye near the end of 2027.
AHS students show concern over the more limited cereal choices now, something that could decrease sales for Target. Another concern would be if Target raises their prices due to the new synthetic free cereals.
“It’s really sad, how are kids supposed to have their cereal?” sophomore Isabella Ha said, “The color is how we perceive the flavor, how will you know which Froot Loop flavor you’re eating?” Ha said.
One factor to consider is if the cereal flavors would go away due to no synthetic dye. Would it change the way the consumer perceives it? Some dyes carry a more chemical taste, if some of the companies decide to start using natural food dyes, it could change the taste of certain cereals.
Students begin to get fear, at the potential though of other retail stores that may begin to follow the lead of Target by banning synthetic food dyes from their cereals, “It would force us to eat healthier, but it also would force markets like Giant to be pointed in another direction,” sophomore Isabella Izaguirre said.
Eating synthetic food dye can cause health problems in the long run, it can also impact people who have neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD. Some studies have shown food dye to cause cancer in animals, causing concern to rise.
Later the FDA cleared this up, by stating that the animals they tested on had a specific hormone mechanism that got triggered by the food dye.
For example when people with ADHD consume foods containing Red No.40 dye there can be an increase in their hyperactivity and make them even more impulsive, therefore aggravating their disorder.
Even if you don’t have a neurodevelopmental disorder, you can still experience effects from the synthetic dyes like being hyper and being irritable.
According to The Ohio State University, Pediatrician, Elizabeth W. Barnhardt, DO, MA, Assistant Professor of College of Medicine says, “Food dyes and some other additives are a public health concern. Even children and young adults without a mental health condition could become agitated after having food dye.”
Generally, students find it difficult to identify the effects of food dye after consuming cereals containing them.
Junior Charles Langille shows confusion with the correlation of food dye worsening ADHD symptoms.
“I have ADHD, and those two things are not related as [far as] I can tell,”Langille said.
In Europe, many of their countries have restricted or banned synthetic food dye, companies must put labels on the products that contain food dye stating their side effects. Europe made this call when they found out certain synthetic food dyes gave cancer to rats, and behavioral spikes in children.
To avoid eating synthetic food dyes always read the label, the dyes are listed like Red No.40 or they could be listed as their chemical name. If a cereal looks colorful on the outside, always look at the ingredients list on the back.
