Kraft moves to eliminate preservatives from cheese slices

For fans of ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwiches made with the iconic Kraft cheese slice, we've got good news and bad news.

The good news is some of those cheese slices are being rid of an artificial preservative called sorbic acid. The bad news is that it's only happening in the United States.

The food giant recently announced its plans to discontinue the use of sorbic acid in some of its processed cheese slices sold in the United States. Specifically, the move affects Kraft Singles in the full-fat American and White American varieties.

"Consumer research suggests that people are looking for more recognizable ingredients and less preservatives," Leslie Humbel, a public relations representative for Kraft, tells Yahoo Canada Shine.

Humbel had no further information on why Kraft Canada was not following their American counterpart's lead in removing the ingredient nor if they had any future plans to do so.

The Associated Press reports that a different ingredient called natamycin, which the company says is a "natural mould inhibitor," will replace the sorbic acid.

Also see: What doughnuts are like around the world

This is the second time in recent months that Kraft has moved to make its products more natural for a consumer market that has become increasingly health-conscious.

In October 2013, Kraft announced its plans to remove yellow dyes from several of its macaroni and cheese products following a well-known blogger's petition suggesting the dyes may be carcinogenic.

Other food labels have similarly followed the trend to remove controversial ingredients from their products.

Also see: Natural remedies for what ails you

Pizza Hut recently announced it has plans to remove dinner rolls served at select restaurants that contain azodicarbonamide, a controversial chemical used in yoga mats and shoe rubber.

And in February 2013, public pressure put on PepsiCo caused the soda giant to remove brominated vegetable oil, a supposed flame retardant, from its Gatorade beverages.

What are your thoughts on the trend towards healthier food products? Sound off in the comments below.