”Consumers have differing food preferences," Golden Valley-based General Mills said at the time, “and we heard from many Trix fans that they missed the bright, vibrant colors and the nostalgic taste of the classic Trix cereal.”

On Tuesday, the nation’s top public health officials indicated those fans might again find themselves disappointed under a plan to ban artificial food coloring.

“For the last 50 years, we have been running one of the largest uncontrolled scientific experiments in the world on our nation’s children without their consent,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference. “And today, we are removing these petroleum-based chemicals from their food supply.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said “the industry has voluntarily agreed” to phase out artificial dyes. The FDA has not yet set a timeline for that phase-out, but food companies did not push back on Kennedy’s characterization.

“As a leader in food, we strongly support a national, industry-wide standard, and we’re committed to continuing the conversation with the administration,” General Mills said in a statement Wednesday. Nearly all of the company’s products are free of synthetic colorings like Red 40 and Blue 1.