Get ready to finally say goodbye to your childhood, as these food brands that you grew up with are changing their tunes, or more appropriately, their taste.
Giant packed food companies like Kraft, Campbell Soup Co., and General Mills, along with many others, are phasing out artificial flavors and dyes from their food products. This is in line with their attempt to win over health-conscious consumers, thus boosting up sales and revenues.
This movement started in 2015, and has shown no signs of slowing down.
"I think [the new products are] more than a passing fad," said John Ruff, former president of the Institute of Food Technologists, and a retired employee of Kraft. He also headed research and development for Kraft's international and North American divisions."I think we're several years into it and I'm not seeing this ever totally going away," he added.
While well-established food products like Kraft's Mac and Cheese or Campbell's chicken soup are undergoing major makeovers, Ruff said that what's happening in this industry isn't really that surprising.
What changed this time, he said, is the dawn of blogging and social media which made it easier for food consumers to voice out opinions and concerns regarding specific ingredients. More often than not, these forums inspire a wave of supporters who join their causes.
Ruff is referring to the incident that involved FoodBabe.comblogger VaniHari's successful campaignto have Subway remove the chemical azodicarbonamide from its bread, the same chemical that's found in yoga mats and sneaker rubber. This ingredient, however, is approved by Food and Drug Administration and has been used for hundred of other products for many years. Ruff believes that due to the pressure of ultimately misinformed regulars, Subway had no choice but to give in.
He has also urged companies to push back against these misconceptions concerning the ingredients being used in their food products. "It's not new for people to have concerns about chemicals in food, for example. Just look at Rachel Carson, 'Silent Spring,' in 1962. But I can't see the end to this in the foreseeable future," he quips.
Whether these new spins on classic food products are indeed healthier is anyone's guess.
"I believe the industry as a whole has pandered to whatever consumers think is healthy," explained Ruff. "I think the problem is that we're actually going to create a generation now that is eating less healthily than their parents, contrary to what everyone seems to suggest. Most of these changes aren't making the product less healthy, but it's certainly not making them healthier."
Therefore, what does the future hold for these packaged-food conglomerates? Ruff says he expects constant interruption from smaller firms, the kind of changes that could reduce giants like Kraft and Campbell as irrelevant.
"I'm not smart enough to be able to tell you what the food industry will look like in 10-15 years' time, but I think it will be very different from today and the one I grew up with. I'm not sure the companies I spent my time with will still be around," Ruff finally ponders, "I think it will be a very different world."
