Vani Hari: Kellogg's campaign — dyes and BHT in cereals

On October 15, 2024, Hari led roughly 1,000 protesters to WK Kellogg Co’s Battle Creek, Michigan headquarters, delivering a petition with more than 400,000 signatures demanding the removal of synthetic dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5/6, Blue 1) and the preservative BHT from U.S. cereals — ingredients she notes are absent from Kellogg’s cereals sold in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany, per the Associated Press.

Her ally Jason Karp later launched a legal campaign, hiring lawyer Alex Spiro and sending a formal legal demand to Kellogg’s. WK Kellogg responded that its ingredients comply with federal regulations and that more than 85% of its cereal sales are already free of artificial colors, per Food Business News. No full reformulation has been announced.

The campaign echoes her earlier dye victories — notably the 2013 Kraft Mac & Cheese petition (365,000+ signatures), after which Kraft removed Yellow 5/6 — but Kellogg’s has proven a tougher target. The fight remains open.

Timeline

• October 15, 2024 — Hari leads ~1,000 protesters to Kellogg’s Battle Creek headquarters with a 400,000+ signature petition demanding dye and BHT removal, per AP.
• 2024–2025 — Jason Karp hires lawyer Alex Spiro and sends Kellogg’s a formal legal demand.
• 2024 — WK Kellogg responds that its ingredients comply with federal regulations and over 85% of cereal sales are already free of artificial colors; no full reformulation announced.