Taco Bell Is Ditching Artificial Ingredients

In a press release yesterday, Taco Bell CEO announced Tuesday that “less is más when it comes to ingredients.” By the end of 2015 the company will be removing artificial flavors and ingredients, such as the dyes that brighten their food colors. This shift came after the brand, among others, found they were losing business to other fast casual chains that offered a more farm-to-table experience other dining options offer.

We are seeing a similar shifts in consumer packaged goods as Kraft recently announced they will be removing artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from its mac and cheese recipes. Again this shift stemmed from consumers voicing their desire to improve the nutritional health in their meals.

From a marketing standpoint what these large brands can tell us is that consumers are driving awareness about the need and desire for healthier options in the food space. This is something that we have been seeing for awhile now, but brands are taking action and responding.

Another great lesson learned is to continuously tap into surveying consumers to understand what they are looking for in your product. We can continue to market brands, but without the research backing those marketing dollars we are not efficiently tapping into what the consumer wants.

Will this nod to nutrition result in an uptick in business? I think it’s safe to say that Taco Bell will remain largely a poor nutrition choice despite the lack of chemicals. Will this help assuage consumer guilt?