McDonald's is ditching artificial flavors, preservatives in vanilla ice cream treats - Note for a discussion, "E Pluribus Unum? What Keeps the United States United." [What do Americans eat?]

USA Today [original article contains links)

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McDonald's has nearly phased out all artificial flavors, preservatives and colors from its vanilla ice cream treats, the fast food company announced Thursday.

The company began phasing out artificial preservatives and colors from its shakes, McFlurries and cones in the fall of 2016, and has nearly completed its transition to over 14,000 restaurants nationwide.

The move comes on the heels of other fast-casual dining restaurants removing artificial preservatives from some of their menu items. In January, Panera announced it had removed artificial ingredients from its food menu, followed by a Chipotle announcement in March that artificial colors, flavors and preservatives were no longer in any items on the menu.

McDonald's has already removed preservatives from McNuggets and said plans to tackle cage-free eggs by 2025 followed by only using chicken that has not been treated with antibiotics used in human health.