How To Clean Hamilton Beach Food Processor

clean food companies

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Big food has a big problem. Not only are companies losing the trust of health-conscious consumers, they're also losing cash. Fortune reports that the top 25 biggest food companies in the country have lost $18 billion in market share since 2009. Faced with these slipping sales, more and more manufacturers are announcing plans to strip products of artificial additives, GMOs, and other controversial ingredients that have consumers on high alert. (They're even buckling to the dubiously researched demands of bloggers.) In fact, so many brands are scrambling to unjunk their packaged products that it's hard to keep track of all the improvements in the pipeline.

Enter this list—a growing rundown of announcements made since the start of 2014:

cheerios

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Cheerios

General Mills kicks things off in January when it announces that its signature Os would be made without genetically modified cornstarch and sugar (oats have never been a GM crop). On its blog, the company readily admits that the only reason for the change was because "consumers may embrace it."

chick fil a

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subway

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Subway

In February, the sandwich chain announces it will drop a dough conditioner called azodicarbonimide—popularly known as the "yoga mat chemical"—from its breads. Some experts question whether the additive is really unsafe at the tiny percentage it's used in food products, but clean food advocates argue that it's an unnecessary addition.

MORE: What Does It Really Mean When Food is Labeled 'Organic'?

At high doses, the stuff's known to cause asthma, and may break down into carcinogenic compounds during processing. Bread maker Nature's Own follows Subway's lead and drops the additive quickly thereafter.

nestle and hershey

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Nestle & Hershey

Nestle kicks off 2015 by pledging to drop artificial colors and flavors from its candy by the end of 2015, a shift that will affect more than 250 of its iconic products like Butterfinger and Crunch. Just days later, Hershey unveils a similar move: The chocolate giant will transition to a "simple, easy-to-understand" ingredients list on its products, shunning GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors/flavors, and milk from cows treated with the hormone rBST.

general mills

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General Mills

After yet another impassioned campaign by the Food Babe (does this woman ever sleep?!), GM says it will remove potentially carcinogenic preservative BHT from cereal packaging. In a statement, though, the company says the blogger "did not play any role in our decision" and that the transition has been underway "for more than a year."

mcdonald's chicken nuggets

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McDonald's

In March, Mickey D's pledges to source chickens raised without medically important antibiotics. But let's not all run out for a 10-piece just yet: Watchdogs soon point out a concerning loophole: In the chain's "Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals" report, those medically important drugs are still allowed to be used for "disease prevention," a vague umbrella that offers no real limit on how much or how often the antibiotics can be used.

tyson

Tyson

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Tyson

One month later, Tyson joins the no-human-antibiotic movement. The company says it will eliminate use of the drugs by the end of 2017.

Chipotle

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pepsi

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Pepsi

By August of 2015, all Diet Pepsi products will be free of aspartame. The controversial sweetener (linked to increased waist size and elevated blood sugar) will be replaced with different controversial sweeteners—namely acesulfame K and sucralose, a swap that comes with its own set of concerns

kraft

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Kraft

The maker of supernaturally orange mac and cheese dinners announces that it will phase out artificial food dyes (which may cause hyperactivity in children) by 2016. What's behind the shift? You guessed it: Our old friend the Food Babe, who gathers 365,000 signatures in support of the change.

panera

Panera

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Panera Bread

In May, Panera debuts its "No-No List," which bans hundreds of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and additives from its menu.

MORE: Five Eeryday Food Chemicals that Could Make You Gain Weight

These include BHT, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, and dough conditioners like DATEM and azodicarbonimide. There are no plans, however, to eradicate the equally frightening 740-calorie Pecan Roll.

taco bell

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Taco Bell and Pizza Hut

No more artificial dyes, flavors, or preservatives for these two chains, both owned by conglomerate Yum! Brands. ("[Consumers are] telling us less is más when it comes to ingredients," quips one company statement.) By the end of 2015, Taco Bell's ground beef will contain actual black pepper instead of "black pepper flavor," and its avocado-ranch dressing will eliminate Blue No. 1 (though we're not sure why any dressing needs blue dye in the first place). The chain also plans to stop using high fructose corn syrup and unsustainable palm oil by 2017. Pizza Hut's elimination of these additives will be much speedier: Expect all restaurants to be in compliance by the end of July.

subway

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Subway (yes, again)

Your $5 foot long will still be $5, but by 2017, it won't contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. That's according to the latest announcement from the sandwich giant. Some big changes: Banana peppers will get color from turmeric instead of Yellow No. 5, and turkey breast will be preserved with vinegar instead of propionic acid.

general mills

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General Mills (Again)

In June, the cereal giant pledged to axe all artificial colors and flavors. Ninety percent of the product line will be artificial-free by the end of 2016; the remaining 10% will follow in 2017, according to a company statement.