Nestlé to Stop Using Artificial Ingredients by End of 2015

That Butterfinger may not be as bad for you in the near future: Sure it has plenty of sugar, but according to a press release, it will soon have no artificial flavors or colorings. Nestlé USA will rid all of its chocolate candy products of fake flavors and colors by the end of the year. Over 250 foods — including classics like Butterfinger, Baby Ruth, Raisinets, Goobers, and Crunch — will no longer be made of of ingredients like "Red 40," "Yellow 5," and "artificial vanilla flavor." Food colorings will instead be replaced with ingredients like annato, which come from "the seeds found in the fruit from the achiote tree," and fake vanilla will be replaced with the real version.

The move applies to over 75 recipes. The company promises that flavor and price will remain the same. Eater has reached out to Nestlé to ascertain how the company plans to retain the taste and price of its products when it is changing its recipes.

Nestlé USA's President of Confections & Snacks notes in the release that the company decided to remove the artificial ingredients due to customers' growing interest in more natural foods, adding that the company is the "first major U.S. candy manufacturer to make this commitment." Additionally, any new chocolate and non-chocolate candies the company decides to launch in the future will also be made without artificial flavors or colors.

A growing number of large food companies are dumping artificial ingredients in favor of natural options.Cult burger chain Shake Shack dropped all artificial ingredients from its crinkle cut fries when it reintroduced them late last year. In 2014, Subway rid its bread of the infamous "yoga mat" chemical, and Panera axed artificial ingredients from its menu.