HOUSTON – Texas has initiated an investigation into a popular cereal brand for advertising its products as healthy despite containing toxic ingredients, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday.
General Mills, Inc., known for cereals such as Trix and Lucky Charms, is under a Civil Investigative Demand as part of a new inquiry into the company’s alleged illegal misrepresentation of its products as “healthy.”
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General Mills frequently markets its products as a “good source” of vitamins and minerals and as “healthy,” despite containing petroleum-based food colorings, according to the release. These artificial colorings have been linked to hyperactivity disorders, endocrine dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and obesity in children.
“Under my watch, big food companies should be on high alert that they will be held accountable if they include toxic ingredients in our food and engage in false marketing,” Paxton said. “I’m proud to stand with the Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy in addressing petroleum-based synthetic dyes and will always fight to protect the health of the American people. This includes ensuring that food products are not illegally and deceptively marketed by corporations, which is why I’ve launched this investigation into General Mills.”
In 2015, General Mills pledged to remove, and did remove, artificial dyes from six of its cereals, gaining significant media support and profit from the announcement. However, just two years later, the company resumed selling cereals with artificial dyes, according to the release.
Despite the growing consensus on the potentially harmful effects of these ingredients, General Mills does not currently warn American consumers about the potential negative health effects of its products. The company still sells reformulated cereal without artificial dyes in other countries and should do the same for Texans and all Americans.
Attorney General Paxton also has an ongoing investigation into Kellogg’s for violations of Texas consumer protection laws.