NEW LOOK — Ziegenfelder’s Twin Pops show off their new look after moving to natural dyes. -- Photo provided

WHEELING – The rainbow of colors in a bag of Ziegenfelder “Twin Pops” made in Wheeling will now come from natural sources.

But parents might not want to tell their children that vegetables have found their way into the frozen confection.

“We have been preparing for years, knowing that there was a possibility that there would be legislation to eliminate some of the dyes,” said Brad Allen, director of sales and marketing for Ziegenfelder. “We’ve done a lot of research into the health and ingredients of the product forever.”

He noted the new product began appearing locally at the start of the year, and the national rollout of the Twin Pops with natural colorings is to happen in early April. The company’s goal is to switch out by Memorial Day.

But the natural colors are much more expensive than the synthetic dyes, according to Allen. The colorings mostly come from fruits and vegetables, such as radishes and spirulina.

“And we’re making a product called ‘Budget Saver,’ and it has to look good, taste good and not cost a lot,” he said. “A couple are a little lighter, but you can tell what they are.

“But it’s a completely different process. It’s a complete formulation update.”

He admits the retail price on the new Twin Pops product will be slightly higher, jumping from a suggested $3.78 per bag to $3.99.

“It will be a little more expensive on the shelf,” Allen explained. “But from a value per stick and a bang for your buck, it will still be a great value for customers across the country.”

After the West Virginia Legislature passed their bill last year to eliminate the sale and production of food products containing food dyes in products, Ziegenfelder made the decision to move to natural colorings in their products, Allen said.

“We’re at the point we’re not using them in the majority of our products,” he continued. “Some of the customers we work with have their own brands and have their own timelines to eliminate the colors.

“So, we’re working on it. We feel that regardless of what happens in the Legislature, we’re going to be in a good shape to serve our customers.

“We’re excited about this change, and the products are starting to hit the shelves now,” Allen said. “We have some in Miklas (Meat Market in Wheeling), and locally in Kroger.”

While the new product may look slightly lighter in color, Twin Pops still come in the same familiar clear packaging.

Allen explained the company has a legal trade dress regarding the Twin Pops, which means no other producer can package a rainbow color of frozen pops in a clear bag for sale.

“It has really been helpful as we have grown our business over the past 25 years,” he said. “We did add a burst on the front that calls out ‘colors from natural sources.'”

As more and more producers also switch to natural flavorings, the fear at Ziegenfelder is that the ingredients will become harder to find and more expensive.

“We want to be in front of the supply-and-demand side,” he continued. “We acted early before any of the laws went into action completely because we wanted to be out ahead.”