In-N-Out has started phasing out artificial ingredients from its menu, in line with Robert F. Kennedy Junior’s proposal to ban them.
In a statement, the beloved fast food company said it was now removing artificial colorings from its Signature Pink Lemonade and Strawberry shakes.
West Coast’s beloved chain, with over 418 locations, announced a shift to ketchup sweetened with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
This update was initially shared online by a fan page and subsequently confirmed by an In-N-Out representative to Nation’s Restaurant News, a premier publication in the food service sector.
Although the specific dyes in the beverages weren’t identified, they might include Red 40, a petroleum-based dye associated with increased hyperactivity in children.
It is one of the eight dyes that RFK Jr said he planned to ban last month, adding that they were ‘clearly associated with a grim inventory of diseases, including cancers, behavioral disease and neurological disease like ADHD’.
High fructose corn syrup is not on the ban list, but the Health Secretary, 71, has suggested phasing it out amid studies linking the syrup to a higher risk of diabetes, obesity and an inability to control appetite.
California’s beloved West Coast-only burger joint is making a major change to its recipe
In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said: ‘As part of our ongoing commitment to providing our customers with the highest-quality ingredients, we have removed artificial coloring from our Strawberry Shakes and Signature Pink Lemonade.
‘We’re also in the process of transitioning to an upgraded ketchup, which is made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to In-N-Out for comment.
The fan account said that some lemonades were already appearing to be less pink because of the shift. It is not thought that the change will affect the taste.
Ketchup made with real sugar, rather than high fructose corn syrup, is said to have a more balanced and slightly less sweet flavor.
In Europe, it is common for ketchup to be made with sugar instead of the syrup.
At the end of last month, RFK Jr’s FDA said it planned to phase out eight artificial food dyes used in foods and drinks amid concerns over harms to health.
These were: Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and two rarely used dyes called Citrus Red 2 and Orange B.
The move follows PepsiCo, which revealed late last month that it had already started phasing out artificial ingredients in line with RFK Jr’s proposals.
The food giant’s CEO, Ramon Laguarta, said that it would continue to transition products such as Cheetos, Lay’s, Tostitos and Doritos to be more natural in response to a change in consumer preferences.
Pictured: In-N-Out’s Double Double alongside an order of fries and a drink. This burger came in second place
Laguarta confirmed that Lay’s and Tostitos would both no longer contain artificial colors ‘by the end of the year’.
PepsiCo, headquartered in Harrison, New York, owns more than 200 food and beverage brands worldwide, including 23 that each generate over $1 billion in sales annually.
In March, PepsiCo launched ‘simply’ Ruffles Hot & Spicy crisps, which contain no artificial colors or flavors, reflecting this shift.
Earlier this week, the FDA revealed it had approved three natural food colorings for use in American foods.
These were Galdieria blue, a blue colored dye made from microalgae, butterfly pea flower extract, a deep blue to purple dye made from dried petals, and calcium phosphate, a white colored dye made from reacting salts like limestone with acid.
