General Mills ingredients: what's banned overseas?

About General Mills

General Mills produces some of America's most iconic cereals including Lucky Charms, Cheerios, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. US versions of Lucky Charms contain Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 synthetic dyes. UK and European versions use natural colouring from concentrates of blackcurrant, radish, and pumpkin. General Mills' own Cheerios became controversial for glyphosate residue testing results published by the Environmental Working Group.

Common concerns with General Mills products

{"ingredient_slug":"red-dye-40","ingredient_name":"Red 40 (Allura Red)","found_in_product":"Lucky Charms, Trix (US)","concern":"EU/UK hyperactivity warning required; FDA phase-out announced April 2025."}; {"ingredient_slug":"yellow-dye-5","ingredient_name":"Yellow 5 (Tartrazine)","found_in_product":"Lucky Charms, Corn Chex (US)","concern":"Requires hyperactivity warning in UK/EU. Not in EU/UK versions of Lucky Charms."}; {"ingredient_slug":"blue-dye-1","ingredient_name":"Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue)","found_in_product":"Lucky Charms, Blueberry Muffin cereals (US)","concern":"EU requires hyperactivity warning; CSPI links to potential brain cancer in animal studies."}; {"ingredient_slug":"glyphosate","ingredient_name":"Glyphosate (herbicide residue)","found_in_product":"Cheerios, Quaker Oats (US)","concern":"EWG 2018 testing found glyphosate residues in 31 of 45 oat-based products including Cheerios. IARC classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A) in 2015."}