In-N-Out Announces Changes After New FDA Guidelines

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would begin phasing out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in food products by the end of next year. That has forced beloved burger chain In-N-Out to make some changes.
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy helped spearhead an effort to remove the dyes from food products in the United States.
'For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,' Kennedy said in a statement at the time. 'These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children's health and development.'
'We're restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public's trust. And, we're doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.'
As a result of that announcement, In-N-Out announced this week that it will be making some changes to its menu, including the removal of artificial coloring from its Strawberry Shakes and Signature Pink Lemonade as well as the transition to a ketchup that uses real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.
In-N-Out Owner and President Lynsi Snyder announced the changes in a statement to Newsweek.
"We are proud to say we've made the following changes,"
Replaced Yellow 5 with Turmeric in our pickles, chilies, and spread
Replaced Red 40 with beta carotene and vegetable juice in our Strawberry Shakes and Signature Pink Lemonade
Replaced artificial vanilla with natural vanilla in our shake mix
Replaced artificial flavors with natural flavors in our chocolate syrup and hot cocoa
Replaced high-fructose corn syrup with natural sugar in our shake mix, strawberry syrup, spread, and Signature Pink Lemonade
Replaced calcium propionate with natural enzymes in our buns and removed cottonseed oil
"We've additionally introduced a healthier beverage sweetener option by replacing sucralose and saccharin sweetener packets with Stevia Leaf Extract, and added a non-dairy alternative, oat milk creamer, Snyder said.
"We're also in the process of transitioning to ketchup made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup and researching an even better-quality oil for our fries."
In-N-Out is not alone in these changes, as brands across the country will be forced to make changes to comply with the new guidelines.

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Four are part of an outbreak in eastern Johnson County, among members of the same household. County health officials said the people are isolating at home, so they don't expect additional spread. Kansas has a total of 79 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but three of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. Montana had 22 measles cases as of Friday. Fourteen were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had four cases. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of June 6, but has held steady since. Two of the people have been hospitalized. All of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. Measles cases also have been reported this year in Alaska, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Health officials declared earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania over after six weeks of no new cases. Tennessee's outbreak also appears to be over. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year. Most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from 'killed' virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have 'presumptive immunity.' Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to 'herd immunity.' But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.