Attorney General Ken Paxton Takes Action Against General Mills as Part of Investigation into the Company for Violations of Texas Law

AUSTIN, TX -- Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent General Mills, Inc. (“General Mills”) a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) as part of a new investigation into the food company for illegal misrepresentations of its food products as “healthy.”

General Mills sells cereals such as Trix and Lucky Charms, and it often markets these products as a “good source” of vitamins and minerals and as “healthy” despite them containing petroleum-based food colorings. These artificial food colorings have been shown to contribute to hyperactivity disorders, endocrine dysfunction, autoimmune disease, cancer, and obesity amongst children.

“Under my watch, big food companies should be on high alert that they will be held accountable if they put toxic ingredients in our food and engage in false marketing,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I’m proud to stand with the Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy in taking on petroleum-based synthetic dyes and will always fight to protect the health of the American people. That includes working tirelessly to ensure 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 made the pledge to remove, and did remove, artificial dyes from six of its cereals. The company profited from the announcement and garnered significant media support. But a mere two years later, General Mills started reselling its cereals with artificial dyes.

Additionally, despite the growing consensus regarding the potentially harmful effects of these ingredients, General Mills does not currently include any warning or otherwise make American consumers aware of the potential negative health effects of its products. General Mills still sells reformulated cereal without artificial dyes in other countries, and it should absolutely 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.