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Nestle Plans To Remove Artificial Ingredients From Chocolate Candies

April 1, 2015 by Emily Jed

VEVEY, Switzerland -- Nestlé USA, a unit of global food producer Nestlé S.A., has announced a commitment to removing artificial flavors and FDA-certified colors from all its chocolate candy products by the end of this year. Plans call for reformulating more than 250 products under 10 brands, including Nestlé.

"We know that candy consumers are interested in broader food trends around fewer artificial ingredients," said Doreen Ida, president of Nestlé USA Confections and Snacks. "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."

According to Ida, Nestlé USA conducted research on brands like Butterfinger that found U.S. consumers prefer familiar candy brands to be free from artificial flavors and colors. And findings from Nielsen's 2014 Global Health & Wellness Survey determined that more than 60% of Americans say that no artificial colors or flavors is important to their food purchase decisions.

Nestlé USA therefore plans to remove artificial flavors and colors and replace them with ingredients from natural sources. For example, Butterfinger's center will be reformulated with annatto, which comes from the seeds found in fruit from the achiote tree, instead of Red 40 and Yellow 5. In Nestlé Crunch, natural vanilla flavor will replace artificial vanillin. Other brands in Nestlé's 75+ chocolate portfolio include Baby Ruth, Skinny Cow, Raisinets, Goobers, Snow Caps, 100 Grand, Oh Henry and Chunky.