Burger King is banning 120 artificial ingredients from menus - see the full list

Screenshot of moldy Whopper video — Courtesy of Burger King

Burger King is dropping over 100 artificial dyes and flavorings from its menu.
The chain promoted its move away from some of these ingredients in a viral ad campaign last year.
Burger King is also releasing celebrity meal partnerships.
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Burger King just announced that it has banned 120 artificial ingredients from its menus, including High Fructose Corn Syrup and several food dyes.

The move is a continuation of an earlier strategy to publicly distance Burger King from artificial dyes and preservatives, including a 2020 ad campaign featuring a time-lapse of a Whopper growing old and moldy over time. By that point, the chain had eliminated preservatives from European menus and in certain US markets. Burger King said all US Whoppers were preservative-free by the end of 2020.

"We know our guests' expectations are changing, and they want to make choices they can feel good about," Ellie Doty, Burger King North America CMO, said in a statement. "We're confident that our ongoing commitment to real food will not only provide guests with the food they're looking for but also set a standard for the industry overall."

See the full list of banned ingredients here.

Burger King is also using this announcement to launch its own celebrity meal partnerships. The chain is playing off the idea of "real" by using the real names of celebrities known by other titles.

The Cornell Haynes Jr., aka Nelly, Meal, consists of a Whopper, small fries, and a small Sprite. The Larissa Machado Meal aka Anitta contains an Impossible Whopper, small fries, and a small Sprite. The Chase Hudson Meal aka LILHUDDY meal is a Spicy Ch'King sandwich with cheese, mozzarella sticks, and a chocolate shake.

Burger King Lil Huddy Keep it real meal — Burger King is eliminating 120 artificial ingredients.
Burger King

Burger King's Keep It Real Meals look similar to McDonald's famous orders, which drove customers in with names like Travis Scott and BTS. The Travis Scott meal last fall was so popular that some locations ran out of Quarter Pounder ingredients. It was also enriching for Scott personally, as he netted at least $20 million from the deal, according to Forbes.

Collaborating with young artists and creators became huge for fast-food chains in 2020, and is continuing strong in 2021. The deals helped brands connect with Gen Z customers and often ended up on social media and as TikTok trends.

The Keep It Real Meals will be available beginning September 12.

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