Asda to remove artificial elements from own-label food and drinks

Asda is spending more than 30m removing all artificial colours and flavours from its own-label food and soft drinks. The supermarket chain will remove ingredients such as aspartame and hydrogenated fat and flavour enhancers from its 9,000 own-label products by the end of the year…

Asda is spending more than £30m removing all artificial colours and flavours from its own-label food and soft drinks. The supermarket chain will remove ingredients such as aspartame and hydrogenated fat and flavour enhancers from its 9,000 own-label products by the end of the year.

The retailer will reformulate foods and drinks using flavours from natural sources such as vanilla, in place of synthetic equivalents that are usual found in products such as chocolate.

The “no nasties” guarantee will also see E-number colours and dyes removed from its products. In most cases they will not be replaced but when they are natural colours, fruit and vegetable extracts will be used.

Darren Blackhurst, food trading director, says the change will not have an impact on taste. He adds: “We know that our customers, particularly those that are mums and dads, are becoming more and more concerned about what’s in the food that they buy.”