BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In 2015, Kellogg’s vowed to clean up its act by removing artificial dyes and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) from its cereals by the end of 2018.

But almost a decade later, the cereal giant seems to have left that promise in the cereal aisle dust. While kids in countries like the UK and Germany are munching on dye-free Froot Loops, American children are still digging into bowls full of artificial colors and preservatives including in new cereals like Baby Shark, Peeps, Elf on the Shelf and Wendy’s Frosty.

Turning up the heat on broken promises.

MORE NEWS: Crews Clean Up Styrofoam Along Lake Superior

Vani Hari, creator of FoodBabe.com, isn’t letting Kellogg’s off the hook. After testifying at a Senate Roundtable on American Health & Nutrition in late September, Hari and a coalition of health advocates are taking their concerns directly to Kellogg’s Battle Creek, Michigan headquarters on October 15, 2024.

According to Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) who led the roundtable discussion, Hari is a food activist, author, and speaker committed to improving food quality and safety. His website on the event says, “She has built a powerful platform through her blog, advocating for transparency in food labeling, and the removal of harmful chemicals from processed foods. Her activism has spurred significant changes in the food industry, encouraging consumers to make healthier, more informed choices while prompting companies to adopt cleaner practices.”

Crunch time for Kellogg’s with delivery of petition signatures on the menu.

Armed with over 171,500 petition signatures (as of press time), Hari is pushing for Kellogg’s to finally make good on their commitment to see healthier cereal in America. In a letter to WK Kellogg Co. CEO Gary Pilnick, Hari announced that she would be delivering the petition signatures to the Kellogg’s headquarters in Battle Creek on Tuesday, October 15th. In the letter, she invited other concerned citizens, health leaders, legislators and presidential candidates to join her along with Jason Karp and Calley Means.

Karp is the founder and CEO of HumanCo, a company focused on promoting health and wellness by creating sustainable, healthier food products. Means is an advocate for health reform and co-founder of TrueMed, a company that enables tax-free spending on healthy foods and exercise. Both also spoke at Johnson’s roundtable event.

RFK Jr. joins forces on health and food safety issues at roundtable discussion.

Also at the roundtable discussion was former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has been a long-time advocate for environmental issues and food safety, with a focus on protecting public health from corporate and governmental neglect. In that advocacy, he has opposed GMOs, pesticide use, vaccine and health transparency, and has criticized industrial agriculture.

Same cereal, different recipe overseas.

One of the key points driving Hari’s campaign is the inconsistency in Kellogg’s ingredient standards. In countries like the UK, Australia, and Germany, cereals like Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes are made without artificial dyes and preservatives. Instead of the synthetic colors that turn cereal into a rainbow of unnatural hues, international versions are colored naturally with ingredients like carrots, watermelon, and turmeric.

MORE NEWS: Train Crash Kills One in Kalamazoo

Advocates are wondering, if Kellogg’s can make dye-free cereals for kids overseas, why can’t American children get the same treatment? Kellogg’s has been as silent about it as a box of Rice Krispies left out overnight. Michigan News Source contacted them about their initial plans to phase out the artificial ingredients – and their response to the petition – but they did not return our request for comment.

California bans Froot Loops.

Recently, California schools have stopped serving Froot Loops and similar snacks to students due to concerns over additives linked to ADHD and hyperactivity. The ban targets snacks containing blue, green, yellow, and red dyes, which are believed to contribute to behavioral issues. As reported by Yahoo News, the California legislature passed the ban, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law on September 28th. Lawmakers hope this move will push companies to alter their recipes across the country in order to meet their new safety standards.

Empty promises or delayed action?

With their initial commitment to phase out artificial ingredients by 2018 fizzling out, it leaves consumers to wonder whether Kellogg’s plans to ever follow through on their promises – and when that might be.

Michigan News Source reached out to Hari about the letter and invitation to meet with Pilnick on October 15th but she hasn’t heard back from him, his legal representation or his communications representative.

Senate hearing is discussed on the Joe Rogan Show.

This issue was discussed on the Joe Rogan Show on October 2nd with Brigham Buhler. He is the founder and CEO of Ways2Well, a healthcare company focused on providing personalized preventive care through telemedicine.

Buhler pointed out a hit piece on the roundtable group in The Atlantic with the headline “The Woo-Woo Caucus Meets” which discusses the meeting held by Johnson. In the article, they ridicule Kennedy by saying if he was president, he’d probably appoint Hari to his cabinet. The Atlantic went on to decry the Kennedy-Trump alliance which Kennedy has called MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) which has its own PAC. They also called the Trump-Kennedy alliance a “shared distrust of institutions” and a “creeping suspicion that the liberal elite is conspiring against them.”

Rogan said after hearing about the “Woo-Woo”, a slang term used to describe beliefs, ideas, or practices that are considered irrational, unscientific, or rooted in mysticism, “To say that toxic chemicals that are illegal in other countries but are legal in the United States and there’s a reason why they’re illegal – you can find all of the different things that they do to the body, all the different damage they cause…to say that that’s ‘woo woo’ is so crazy…”