Fast food restaurants are making a New Year's resolution to change their junk food image, as more consumers are turning toward healthier foods with natural ingredients.
"This demand for fresh and real is on the rise," Greg Creed, CEO of Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, told The Associated Press.
Some fast food chains in recent years have been looking at how they could get rid of some preservatives to make the first step in getting a healthier image - but that may not be enough.
Getting rid of additives here and there may be a start, but Michele Simon, a public health lawyer, doubts that getting rid of those ingredients will be enough to change the public's image of fast food altogether.
"That's just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," Simon told AP. "These companies have a fundamental problem in who they are."
Fast food restaurants including McDonald's, Subway, Chick-fil-A and Carl's Jr. are taking on the challenge, reported AP.
On Thursday, Subway began airing commercials promoting new chicken strips free of artificial preservatives and flavors. Last year the privately held company removed an ingredient from its bread after backlash from an online petition revealing the ingredient was also used in yoga mats.
Just last month McDonald's USA President Mike Andres announced the company is working on simplifying ingredient labels.
Last month, Carl's Jr. also introduced an "all-natural" burger with no added hormones, antibiotics or steroids. The chain's cheif marketing officer also said it was reviewing its other foods to create all-natural versions.
In 2013, Chick-fil-A vowed to remove high-fructose corn syrup from buns and artificial dyes from its dressings. In the same year, the company also promised to stop serving chicken raised with antibiotics within the next five years.
