Certain Chain Restaurants Are Cutting Artificial Ingredients from Their Menus—But Will That Even Matter?


A growing number of fast food chains are removing artificial ingredients from their menus, and two more have just joined the list: Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

Taco Bell announced that it plans to get rid of artificial flavors and colors in its food by the end of the year, and Pizza Hut will get rid of them by the end of July. (Both restaurants are owned by the same company, Yum Brands.)

Taco Bell says that more than 95 percent of its food items will be impacted by the change, minus drinks and food from other brands like Doritos. “These changes will not compromise the taste and flavors enjoyed at Taco Bell,” the company says in a press release.

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On the chopping block for Taco Bell: The yellow No. 6 coloring for its nacho cheese, “black pepper flavor” used on its beef, and high-fructose corn syrup.

While Pizza Hut says they’ll get rid of artificial ingredients (but don’t say which), they pointed out in a press release that they don’t use fillers in their meat toppings or add sugar or oil to their marinara sauce. They also said their cheese is made from 100 percent whole-milk mozzarella and that they’ve already reduced the amount of sodium in their pizzas.

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Why are they doing this now? “Today’s consumer more than ever before wants to understand the ingredients that make up the foods that they enjoy,” Pizza Hut CEO David Gibbs said in a statement.

Of course, they may also be feeling pressure from consumers now that other restaurants and brands have done the same thing. In the past few months, major companies like Kraft, Nestle, Pepsi, Chipotle, McDonald’s, Subway, and Panera have declared that they’re eliminating certain ingredients from their menus.

While this all sounds good, what does it mean, exactly? Will Pizza Hut and Taco Bell be healthier as a result of ditching artificial ingredients?

Not exactly, says nutritionist Jessica Cording, R.D. “Removing these ingredients is a positive step, given the range of related health concerns,” she says. “Regardless of what we do and don’t know about the long-term effects of these flavoring, coloring, and sweetening agents, they certainly aren’t actively good for us, and many consumers and health-care professionals will be happy to see them go.”

Nutritionist Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., founder of New York Nutrition Group, agrees and points out that artificial flavors and colors aren’t doing anything for us nutritionally, anyway.

She’s particularly happy to see Taco Bell’s yellow No. 6 dye go but points out that this still doesn’t make either place the best restaurant to visit when you’re trying to eat well since the changes don’t significantly lower calories, salt, sugar, or saturated fats in their foods.

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“These foods should not be a staple in anyone’s diet no matter how many artificial ingredients they filter out,” says Moskovitz.

So while eliminating artificial ingredients is a step in the right direction, pizza and tacos are still foods that should only be eaten here and there. If you want to eat healthy, it’s better to choose foods that contain more nutritious ingredients, not just real ingredients…or you could always prepare your meals yourself.