Kellogg's revealed Tuesday that it aims to stop using artificial ingredients in its cereals and snack bars by the end of 2018.
The 109-year-old company is the latest American food company to fold under increasing pressure to remove artificial ingredients from its products, according to The New York Times.
Among the companies that have already been making the switch is General Mills, which revealed its intention to have 90 percent of its cereals free of artificial flavors and colors by 2016 in June. Other firms include Nestle USA, Cambell Soup Company and Kraft, as well as chain restaurants like Subway, Panera, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
Kellogg's says that 75 percent of its cereals is already made without artificial colors, and 50 percent of them are made without artificial flavors. The food maker intends to remove additives from 90 percent of its products by 2016, before finally removing them entirely by 2018, The Consumerist reported.
Like other food companies, Kellogg's cites the change was induced by a drop in sales - the result of consumers' growing preference for healthier and less processed foods.
Kellogg's reported second-quarter revenue Tuesday that revealed a 5.1 percent loss in sales - the seventh time in eight quarters that sales had fallen, according to the New York Daily News.
Sales in the company's U.S. snacks business fell by two percent, while sales in the U.S. morning foods business fell by 2.2. percent.
Despite these losses, Q2 revenue managed to top analysts' expectations.
