Saturday, January 3, 2015

Fast Food Wants to Be More Fresh, Real

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2009, file photo, a customer looks at the menu at a McDonald's drive-thru in Williamsville, N.Y. As people express distaste for food they think is overly processed, chains including McDonald�s and Taco Bell are trying to shed their reputation for serving reheated meals that are kept intact with chemicals. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File) David Duprey/AP As people express distaste for food they think is overly processed, fast food chains like McDonald's (MCD) are trying to shed their reputation for serving reheated meals that are loaded with chemicals. That includes rethinking the use of artificial preservatives and other ingredients customers find objectionable. "This demand for fresh and real is on the rise," said Greg Creed, CEO of Yum Brands (YUM), which owns Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. During the presentation for analysts and investors last month, Creed said the company needs to be more transparent about ingredients and use fewer preservatives. Recasting fast-food as "fresh" and "real" will be tricky, in large part because it's so universally regarded as cheap and greasy. Another problem is that terms like "fresh," ''real" and "healthy" have nebulous meanings, making it hard for companies to pin down how to approach transformation. Would You Like Brominated Vegetable Oil With That?

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