Fast Food Companies Are Ditching The 'Junk' In 2015

Fast food joints are working on a bit of a New Year's resolution. They're hoping to ditch their unhealthy image by replacing food additives and the like with natural ingredients.

Though some fast food companies have made small steps on replacing these foods with empty calories, the progress has been slow. Now, they're taking more of an active stance to meet this goal.

"This demand for fresh and real is on the rise," said CEO of Yum Brands Gred Ceed, who owns Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, according to The Associated Press.

Unfortunately, Public Health Lawyer Michele Simon believes that getting rid of certain ingredients will not make much of a difference in the fast food industry all together.

"That's just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," Simon said, via the news organization. "These companies have a fundamental problem in who they are."

Many fast food joints are taking on the new challenge, including Chick-fil-A, Carl's Jr., McDonald's and Subway. So far, some have begun airing healthier ads or promoted more natural ingredients.

For Subway in particular, their forward stances from backlash last year after the privately held company removed an ingredient found in its bread based on an online petition that stated that the ingredient was also used in yoga mats.

Unhealthy claims had also been made in the aforementioned companies and other fast food restaurants that are not doing quite as much to make a healthier change this year. 

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