A woman who says she is an heiress to the cereal giant Kellogg’s has urged people to boycott the company over its use of ingredients linked to cancer.
Victoria Kellogg — who claims to be the great, great, great granddaughter of the firm’s founder — has accused Kellogg’s of ‘betraying’ her family’s original vision.
The company is facing mounting pressure to remove colorings and flavorings that have been associated with cancer, ADHD and migraines.
Froot Loops and Apple Jacks in particular have been blasted because the US versions contains many ingredients banned in Europe, Canada and Australia.
Victoria said in an interview with anti junk food campaigner Vani Hari: ‘I would absolutely boycott Kellogg’s.
‘[The founder’s] intention was to help people, and now people are getting really sick and it is really, really sad.’
She added: ‘I would hope that Kellogg’s would live up to my family’s legacy and just do the right thing, take food dyes out of its products.’
Victoria — who also has vaccine skeptic views — says she is related through her father’s side to Will Keith Kellogg, who founded the company in 1906 in Michigan.
Victoria Kellogg (bottom) was interviewed by Vani Hari about her views on the company’s use of food dyes and additives. The above grab is from the interview
The US arm of the company is worth $1.5billion today.
Victoria said that she has spoken to some cousins since who were ‘surprised’ by her actions but ‘supportive’.
Several Kellogg’s cereals contain additives that have been outlawed or restricted in Europe, Canada and Australia, including Apple Jacks and Froot Loops, where the cereals are made with less harmful ingredients.
US Froot Loops, for example, contain with Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, which have been linked to cancer, tumors and hyperactivity in children.
Apple Jacks contain Blue 1, which has also been linked to hyperactivity and kidney tumors in mice.
The above graphic shows that the US version of Rainbow Krispies contains a number of ingredients that are banned or restricted in Europe
Victoria is just the latest to join a growing urging Kellogg’s to remove the chemicals from its products.
Actress Eva Mendes also revealed she ‘won’t eat Kellogg’s anymore’ after learning about the additives.
Victoria said in the interview with Ms Hari: ‘I would absolutely boycott Kellogg’s.
‘I am willing to lose money over this if people are safe. Money is not everything in life, but when you are sick in bed and your children are sick in bed for their whole life because they have health problems, money doesn’t really matter.
‘[The founder’s] intention was to help people, and now people are getting really sick and it is really really sad.’
She added: ‘They should apologize for makin a false vow and correct their wrong.
It was the same for Froot Loops, which an ex-FDA food chief has previously branded as Europe’s worst cereal
Ms Hari is spearheading efforts to get Kellogg’s to update its practices. She has also launched a petition which has gained more than 400,000 signatures
Ms Hari is spearheading a movement aiming to get Kellogg’s to take the potentially harmful dyes out of its cereals.
She has spoken to the Senate about the issue, and also started a petition urging Kellogg’s to make the change — which now has more than 400,000 signatures.
Ms Hari told DailyMail.com: ‘Kellogg’s voluntarily removed their artificial food dyes from their cereals in Europe because they were going to have to put a cigarette-type warning on their products.
‘So to me they are liable knowing they are harming children but continuing to use these ingredients in America.
‘I think every single American needs to boycott Kellogg’s until they make these changes.’
Kellogg’s has been silent on social media since late October amid mounting pressure from her campaign.
In a TikTok video it posted in September, the company was blasted with comments from the public asking when it was going to remove additives from its cereal.
One viewer said, ‘do your CEOs eat the European version or the American version?’, and a second added, ‘can we get the European one?’.
Red 40 is a synthetic food dye made from petroleum.
Europe restricted its use in 2010 after a study suggested that it was causing hyperactivity in children, requiring companies that use it to slap a cigarette packet-style warning onto their products.
Actress Eva Mendes took to Instagram last week to call for Kellogg’s to remove ‘harmful’ food dyes and additives from its cereals
The above compares Apple Jacks sold in the US and in Autralia, revealing they use many ingredients in America that are not in the version on the other side of the Pacific
Froot Loops have been criticized in the US for the number of additives they contain that are restricted or banned in other countries
The Cleveland Clinic says the dye has also been linked to irritability and depression, skin irritation, migraines and was suggested to have caused tumors in animals that were exposed to very high doses.
Pictured above is Kellogg’s founder Will Keith Kellogg
It has not been outlawed in the US, but California is set to ban products that contain the coloring from its schools by December 2027.
Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 are made from coal tar, and used to give foods a bright and ‘appetizing’ bright yellow color.
Some studies have also linked it to hyperactivity in children, and studies in humans have also suggested it can damage the DNA in white blood cells and raise the risk of tumors forming.
A 2019 study also found that high concentrations of Yellow 5 given to flies caused them to die.
European regulators require foods that contain Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 to carry a warning label, but there are no such restrictions in the US.
Blue 1 is now made from oils, although initially was also made from coal tar, and used to give them brilliant blue.
It has also been linked to hyperactivity in children, and has been banned in Europe. There are no such restrictions in the US.