As the demand for healthier products increases among consumers, major food manufacturers are eliminating a wide range of ingredients, including preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, sugars, and trans fats—essential additives that provide products with distinctive tastes, appearances, or extended freshness. While these companies reformulate their ingredients, they must be cautious not to strip away the qualities that consumers associate with their favorite items, as doing so could irreparably harm brand loyalty and lead to a loss of market share to competitors.
Once a company decides to reformulate a product, it faces a challenging, time-consuming, and potentially expensive process. They must also figure out how to communicate these changes to the public. Should they be transparent about the changes and explain their reasoning to consumers? Or should they implement the changes quietly and only announce them once the improved product is established in the market?
Food Dive contacted leading food companies that have revamped their iconic products in recent years to assess how the rollouts were managed, customer responses, and the effectiveness of their outreach strategies. For instance, when Nestlé pledged in February 2015 to eliminate artificial colors and flavors from its chocolate candies by the end of that year, it publicly shared this decision, claiming to be the first manufacturer to do so. The Swiss company, known for its popular confections like Crunch and Baby Ruth, replaced Red 40 and Yellow 5 in its Butterfinger’s crunchy center with annatto, a natural food coloring derived from achiote seeds. Additionally, it substituted artificial vanillin in its Crunch bar with the genuine article.
“We understand that candy consumers are increasingly interested in broader food trends, particularly those that favor fewer artificial ingredients,” stated Doreen Ida, president of Nestlé USA Confections & Snacks, during the announcement. “Our initial step has been to eliminate artificial flavors and colors while maintaining taste and price.” The significant move by a major player like Nestlé resonated with the public and industry experts alike, as it demonstrated responsiveness to the growing consumer demand for natural ingredients.
Nestlé took an even bolder step in December 2016 by announcing its development of a natural method for restructuring sugar molecules, allowing manufacturers to use up to 40% less sugar without compromising sweetness. The company is currently patenting this faster-dissolving sugar and plans to launch confectionery products featuring it next year.
Kraft Heinz, on the other hand, opted for a different strategy when it decided to modify the recipe of its iconic macaroni and cheese by removing artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. This included replacing Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 dyes with natural colorings sourced from paprika, annatto, and turmeric. Kraft initially announced this change in April 2015, several months before its merger with Heinz, but chose to remain silent about it until the newly reformulated product hit shelves in December. According to a spokesperson, such ingredient changes require time, especially for a well-established brand.
“For our fans, we could not compromise on the product’s taste and appearance,” said Lynne Galia, Kraft Heinz’s head of communications for U.S. brands. “Until we were confident in our recipe lacking artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes, we were not going to change the product. We worked on these improvements for over three years, continuously connecting with and testing our fans.” Kraft Heinz took a significant risk with its promotional strategy by introducing the new product as the world’s largest “blind taste test.” Company executives noted that this was one of the biggest bets they had ever made, and consumers rewarded this risk by purchasing over 50 million boxes of the reformulated macaroni and cheese in the initial months of its release.
Since they believed the new recipe tasted just as good as the old one, Kraft Heinz decided to withhold announcing the recipe change until March 2016, allowing fans to discover it for themselves. They wanted customers to be pleasantly surprised that their beloved Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, which they had been enjoying for months, not only lacked artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes but still retained its familiar taste. Kraft Heinz officially announced the formula changes in March 2016 through print and television advertisements that humorously stated, “We’d invite you to try it, but you already have.” The food giant also encouraged macaroni and cheese enthusiasts to share their reactions on social media using the hashtag didntnotice for a chance to win giveaways.
Experts like Downing suggest that food companies should avoid keeping their product reformulations secret from consumers. “This should not be something that is hidden or disguised. Simply communicate, ‘We know you love this product, and we’re changing it to make it better.'”
Shortly after Kraft announced changes to its macaroni and cheese, General Mills decided to phase out artificial flavors and colors in some of its cereals, including Trix, which received a color makeover using fruit and vegetable juices and spice extracts. However, after launching the new version of Trix, General Mills faced customer backlash as fans criticized the natural colors as dull and uninspiring. Despite the trend toward fewer artificial additives in food, Trix enthusiasts urged the company to revert to the old formula.
“Consumers have varying food preferences, and we heard from many Trix fans that they missed the bright, vibrant colors and the nostalgic taste of the classic Trix cereal,” stated Mike Siemienas, a spokesman for General Mills. During the transition to remove artificial colors and flavors, the company’s food scientists struggled to replicate the bright red, neon blue, and green hues with natural ingredients, and consumers reported that these changes altered the cereal’s taste. In response to the backlash, General Mills decided to reintroduce “Classic Trix” in October.
“We will continue to offer our current formulation of Trix without artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources—catering to its own fan base—alongside Classic Trix, so both products will be available for consumers,” Siemienas added. Despite the challenges faced, General Mills appears to have no regrets about its decision to change Trix.
“We are always listening to our consumers, and we continuously innovate and renovate our products to ensure we meet consumer preferences. Not everyone has the same taste, and that’s perfectly acceptable,” he concluded. Downing believes General Mills missed an opportunity to educate customers about the benefits of avoiding certain additives. “If it’s going to look slightly different, people can acclimate to that instead of consuming chemicals. Perhaps their marketing campaign should have included more educational content.”
For some consumers, the issue may be more about personal preference than education. In 2016, over 60% of U.S. consumers reported considering whether a product contained artificial colors when making purchases. However, it is evident that what consumers claim to want does not always align with their actual purchasing behavior.
In the context of these reformulations, the integration of ingredients such as calcium citrate and vitamin D could also play a pivotal role in appealing to health-conscious consumers. By emphasizing the presence of beneficial components like calcium citrate and vitamin D, companies could further enhance the perceived value of their products while meeting the growing demand for healthier options.