BY VICTORIA KELLOGG, WITH KARINA GORDIN, MSc

When I first sat down to write this letter, I wrestled with which issue to address.

There are many urgent concerns affecting children today—from the alarming rise in child trafficking to the ongoing controversy surrounding the childhood vaccine schedule.

I personally experienced adverse effects from the MMR vaccine as a child—an injury that has had lasting repercussions on my health and opened my eyes to the broader risks families are often left to navigate alone.

But ultimately, I chose to focus on something that touches nearly every household in America: food. Specifically, the processed, artificial, and aggressively marketed cereals that line our grocery store shelves—and bear my family’s name, Kellogg.

A Personal Wake-Up Call

As the Kellogg cereal heiress, I feel a deep responsibility—not only to the legacy of my family but to the millions of families who begin each day with a bowl of Kellogg’s cereal.

I write this letter as both a concerned citizen and someone raised on the standard American diet (SAD)—a processed food culture that contributed to my ongoing health struggles like gut dysbiosis, ADHD, hypothyroidism, and depression.

Fortunately, over the years, I’ve found ways to manage and begin healing. A variety of holistic and integrative approaches—ozone therapy, acupuncture, targeted supplementation, biofeedback, and neuro-emotional technique (NET)—have been instrumental in restoring some balance to my health.

But these are not options readily accessible to many families and they shouldn’t be necessary in the first place. Prevention begins with what’s on our plates.

That’s why I now turn to Kellogg’s leadership. For too long, many of your popular cereals—marketed heavily to children in the United States—have contained ingredients known to pose serious health risks.

Artificial dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and synthetic preservatives remain prevalent in your US-based product line—despite growing evidence linking these additives to chronic and debilitating health conditions.

The Science Is In

The data are clear. A randomized study commissioned by the Food Standards Agency and published in The Lancet found that mixtures of artificial colors and sodium benzoate increased hyperactivity in children—even in those without an ADHD diagnosis.

This led the European Union to recommend warning labels on products containing food dyes, stating they “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” As a result, many European food manufacturers, including Kellogg’s, reformulated their products to remove synthetic dyes.

Yet in the United States, no such warning label is required—and your cereals remain filled with petroleum-derived colorants. The American Academy of Pediatrics has acknowledged that removing artificial food dyes can benefit children, especially those with behavioral or attention challenges.

In 2021, the state of California released a comprehensive report—in collaboration with researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Davis—confirming that synthetic food dyes increase hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral issues in some children.

The report noted that current federal regulations are outdated and may not adequately protect children’s behavioral health.

These additives don’t just affect mood and behavior. Other studies have raised red flags about allergic reactions, potential DNA damage, and disruptions to the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients.

And yet, the cereals you sell to American children continue to be formulated with these questionable ingredients—while the European counterparts rely on natural alternatives like concentrated carrot, watermelon, and cherry juice.

Why the double standard? Why do European families get safer versions of the same products while American children are left with cereals that glow neon in the bowl?

You’ve already shown that reformulation is possible. So, I ask: why not here?

Kellogg Legacy Betrayed

My great-great-great-grandfather, WK Kellogg, founded this company with a vision of promoting affordable, high-fiber food—guided in part by the dietary principles of his Seventh-day Adventist faith.

While I don’t align with every aspect of his legacy, I believe he would be devastated to see how far the Kellogg brand has strayed from its original mission.

The families who trust you to feed their children deserve better. And the Kellogg name does too.

A Call to Parents—and to Power

To the parents reading this:

Companies will produce what the market demands. For decades, industry focus groups have shown that artificial dyes make products more visually appealing to children and lead to greater consumption—and that data have shaped how cereals are formulated and marketed.

But it’s time to challenge those assumptions.

It’s time to show that we, as consumers and caretakers, value real ingredients over right colors, long-term health over short-term appeal. Demand better. Write letters. Ask for reformulated cereals. Call for warning labels.

When enough of us speak up, the market will respond—and our children will be healthier for it.

Sincerely,
Victoria Kellogg

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For a complete list of references, visit https://wellbeingjournal.com/JA25-references