Here’s Why Idaho Target Stores Will Stop Selling Some Popular Breakfast Cereals

I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t love the occasional bowl of breakfast cereal. Even if it isn’t breakfast time. It’s a universal meal for when you are hungry but want a low-commit dish.

It doesn’t take time to make or plan, and if you decide halfway through the bowl of cereal, you aren’t wasting a ton of food, time, or money. But securing certain popular cereals in Idaho could become more time-consuming if Target doesn’t see some very specific changes from popular cereal brand makers.

UPDATE: Information below has been updated following a response from General Mills regarding their ingredients and plans to stop using certified colors.

The Scary Reason Idaho Target Stores Are Removing These Popular Cereals

The reason Target is deciding to remove some of its most popular cereals from shelves dates back to a problem we all heard about decades ago as kids. When I was a kid, I heard people talking about how the Yellow #5 dye in my Mt. Dew was going to cause issues having a family in the future, and that Red 3 and Red 40 were going to give me cancer. There wasn’t a ton of truth in those stories, but Red 3 has been linked to cancer in rats and attention issues in kids.

Still, the dyes are synthetic and petroleum-based, and some are considered carcinogenic, which has prompted Target stores to take a stand. It was announced in a press release that by the end of May, their entire assortment of breakfast cereal will be made without certified synthetic colors. Target didn’t specify which colors would need to be replaced, but Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, Blue 1 and 2, and Green 3 are probably among them. Red 3 has already been banned by the FDA in food beginning in 2027 and in drugs by January of 2028. Any cereal brand that fails to change its ingredients will be pulled from store shelves.

Popular Cereals Could Be Removed From Idaho Target Stores

Though not specifically stated in the press release, but mentioned in an All Recipes article, some cereals from Kellogg’s and General Mills, including Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Captain Crunch, Apple Jacks, and others, would be removed from store inventory if Target follows through with their timeline and the synthetic dyes aren’t substituted with something natural.

General Mills has responded to us stating that they don't believe there will be a period of time when their products won't be available, as they announced in 2025 plans to remove certified colors from all their US cereals by this summer. Many of their brands are already made without the questionable dyes. The Associated Press reports that Kellogg's plans to phase out the synthetic dyes by the end of 2027.

Target says it has been ‘working closely with national brand and owned partners to reformulate products where needed.’ There is still time for the companies to make a change and keep their products in Target stores. Otherwise, you’ll have to go to another store like Walmart to get your cereal.

It isn't just cereals getting the dye makeover: Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Smuckers, and others are working to replace synthetic coloring in their food products.