In a few months, you’ll be able to down a Butterfinger candy bar, knowing it’s free of all artificial ingredients.
Nestle announced it’s removing all artificial flavors and colors from its chocolate candies. Doreen Ida, president of Nestle USA Confection and Snacks, said in a statement:
We know that candy consumers are interested in broader food trends around fewer artificial ingredients. As we thought about what this means for our candy brands, our first step has been to remove artificial flavors and colors without affecting taste or increasing the price. We’re excited to be the first major U.S. candy manufacturer to make this commitment.
You may be surprised to know how many Nestle chocolate products contain artificial colors or flavoring. According to CNBC, 250 products, including Butterfinger, Nestle Crunch, Raisinets, Oh Henry and Baby Ruth, will be affected.
Instead of using red 40 and yellow 5 in Butterfinger bars, Nestle will use annatto, which “comes from the seeds found in the fruit from the achiote tree,” CNBC noted. Crunch bars are ditching the artificial vanillin and opting for natural vanilla instead.
Nielsen’s recent Global Health and Wellness Survey revealed that more than 60 percent of Americans said that finding foods that contain no artificial flavors or colors is an important food-purchasing decision.
The new candies, complete with a “no artificial flavors or colors” label, will start hitting shelves in mid-2015, CNBC said.
“Going forward, all newly launched chocolate and non-chocolate candy products (gummies, sours, etc.) introduced by Nestlé USA will be made without artificial flavors or colors,” a press release said.
Kudos to Nestle for making this change. Maybe other food manufacturers will take note.
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