Taco Bell, Pizza Hut to Stop Using Artificial Ingredients
Taco Bell said it will stop using Yellow No. 6 dye in its nacho cheese. (Photo: Flickr/Mike Mozart)
Taco Bell and Pizza Hut say they’re getting rid of artificial colors and flavors, making them the latest big food companies scrambling to distance themselves from ingredients people might find unappetizing.
Instead of “black pepper flavor,” for instance, Taco Bell will start using actual black pepper in its seasoned beef, says Liz Matthews, the chain’s chief food innovation officer.
The Mexican-style chain also says the artificial dye Yellow No. 6 will be removed from its nacho cheese, Blue No. 1 will be removed from its avocado ranch dressing and carmine, a bright pigment, will be removed from its red tortilla strips.
Matthews said some of the new recipes are being tested in select markets and should be in stores nationally by the end of the year.
The country’s biggest food makers are facing pressure from smaller rivals that position themselves as more wholesome alternatives. Chipotle in particular has found success in marketing itself as an antidote to traditional fast food, although some question the meaningfulness of some of its claims. In April, Chipotle announced it had removed genetically modified organisms from its food, even though the Food and Drug Administration says GMOs are safe.
Critics say the purging of chemicals is a response to unfounded fears over ingredients, but companies are nevertheless rushing to ensure their recipes don’t become marketing disadvantages. In recent months, restaurant chains including Panera, McDonald’s and Subway have said they’re switching to ingredients people can easily recognize.
Panera Bread, specifically, pledged to remove at least 150 artificial ingredients — including sweeteners, flavors, preservatives and colors — all by the end of 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, all of the ingredients to be phased out at Panera have been “approved for their intended use by the Food and Drug Administration and safely consumed for decades,” New Jersey-based registered dietitian nutritionist Robyn Flipse, RDN, previously told Yahoo Health. The decisions by food companies to remove the ingredients are likely less about any potential harm and more about transparency and giving consumers what they want.
And it’s not just restaurants that are shedding artificial ingredients — Kraft Mac & Cheese announced earlier this year that it would be removing artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from its original flavor mac & cheese. Instead, it will use paprika, annatto, and turmeric to color the product.
Nestlé also announced earlier this year that it will phase out artificial colors and flavors from its candy products sold in the U.S., including Butterfingers, Crunch bars, and Baby Ruth bars.
Indeed, John Coupland, a professor of food science at Penn State University, said companies are realizing some ingredients may not be worth the potential harm they might cause to their images, given changing attitudes about additives.
Additionally, he noted that the removal of artificial ingredients can be a way for companies to give their food a healthy glow without making meaningful changes to their nutritional profiles. For instance, Coupland said reducing salt, sugar or portion sizes would have a far bigger impact on public health.
Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are owned by Yum Brands Inc., which had hinted the changes would be on the way. At a conference for investors late last year, Yum CEO Greg Creed referred to the shifting attitudes and the desire for “real food” as a revolution in the industry.
Related: 10 Tips for Eating More Real Food
Representatives at KFC and Yum’s corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky were not immediately available to comment on whether the fried chicken chain would also be removing artificial ingredients.
Pizza Hut says it will remove artificial flavors and colors by the end of July.
Taco Bell says it will take out artificial colors, artificial flavors, high-fructose corn syrup and unsustainable palm oil from its food by the end of 2015. It says artificial preservatives will be removed “where possible” by 2017. The moves do not affect fountain drinks or co-branded products, such as its Doritos-flavored taco shells.
Brian Niccol, the chain’s CEO, said price increases are based on a variety of factors, and that the company would work to keep its menu affordable.
“I do not want to lose any element of being accessible to the masses,” Niccol said.
When asked whether the changes would affect taste, a representative for Taco Bell said in an email that “It will be the same great tasting Taco Bell that people love.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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