Nestlé USA is planning to remove artificial flavours and FDA-certified colours from all of its chocolate candy products by the end of this year.
The candy manufacturer will avoid using artificial flavours and certified colours, including Red 40 and Yellow 5, in more than 250 products and 10 brands including Nestlé, Butterfinger, Crunch and Baby Ruth.
Nestlé USA Confections & Snacks president Doreen Ida said: "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 flavours and colours without affecting taste or increasing the price."
This new development builds upon a research conducted on brands like Butterfinger, which revealed that US consumers prefer candy brands to be free from artificial flavours and colours.
In addition, Nielsen's 2014 Global Health & Wellness Survey also showed that more than 60% of Americans prefer food products without artificial ingredients.
Nestlé said it will replace those artificial flavours and colours with ingredients from natural sources.
The new products will be available in market by mid-2015 and will be identified by a "No Artificial Flavours or Colours" claim featured on-pack.
Further, Nestlé also plans to remove caramel colouring from its chocolate products, which is currently being used in nine chocolate products.
Image: Nestlé will remove artificial ingredients from its chocolates including Crunch and Butterfinger candy bars. Photo: courtesy of Nestlé USA.
