Goldfish Crackers
Do you remember the taste of cheddar Goldfish crackers in the 1980s and ‘90s? They were heaven on Earth for kids. But if they started tasting a little different around 2004, that was by design. Pepperidge Farm, owned by Campbell’s removed the trans fat, a partially hydrogenated soybean oil, as a health measure. It was great for the cardiovascular health of Americans but made the crackers less tasty.
As Wired notes, scientists discovered roughly 100 years ago that adding hydrogen to oil could create a product that was a cheap replacement for animal-based lard in many recipes. And while it was unhealthy, it was damn delicious.
Yes, Pepperidge Farm introduced new flavors in the Goldfish product line, including “flavor-blasted” cheddar. But if you liked the regular cheddar flavor and noticed it got a little more boring in the mid-2000s, there’s a good reason: They’re healthier.
