Food Babe:1 Chick-fil-A: 0—Chain Changes Ingredients After Blogger Pressure
Chick-fil-A, the popular fast food chain, has announced that it will immediately begin removing ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup and artificial food colors, found in many of its menu items.
The decision reportedly comes after Vani Hari, the blogger behind FoodBabe.com, put pressure on the chain because many of its sandwiches contained close to 100 ingredients, reports the Huffington Post. The controversial ingredients pointed out by Hari include peanut oil with TBHQ (a chemical made from butane), artificial colors, flavors, and high fructose corn syrup, which has been linked with the nation’s obesity and diabetes epidemic.
“The fast-food chicken chain says the reformulated buns are being tested in about 200 Georgia locations, while the sauces and dressings will be tested starting early next year,” reports the Post. “It says it also removed a yellow dye from its chicken soup and that the new recipe should be in all restaurants by the end of this month.”
Hari first targeted the chain in 2011 with a post entitled “Chick-fil-A or Chemical Fil-A?” After seeing the post, Chick-fil-A executives invited Hari to their headquarters to discuss making improvements to the menu. “They took my concerns and started developing a road map of how to address them,” Hari told the Post. While recent labeling laws in Washington state and California failed to pass at the polls, the decision by Chick-fil-A is a welcome victory for Hari and bloggers of all kind—highlighting the power of the internet and social media as tools capable of creating major improvements in our food supply.
Chick-fil-A has been battling image issues in recent years. The chain has been involved in a lawsuit with a Vermont t-shirt company over use of the slogan “eat more kale,” which the chain says infringes on its “eat more chikin” slogan (in ads featuring cows with spelling challenges). The chain was also recently called out over anti-gay comments made by founder Truett Cathy.
Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
Related on Organic Authority
Which Came First: The Chick-Fil-A Facebook Page or… The Fake One?
Eat More Words: Chick-Fil-A Addresses Anti-Gay Comments
Hey Chick-Fil-A: Kale Isn’t Chikin!
Image: alberthuynphoto