NEW YORK (AP) — Taco Bell says it will roll out Cap'n Crunch-covered balls of dough nationally — and that they're exempt from its recent pledge to remove artificial ingredients. 
 
 The company said last week it would remove artificial colors, flavors and high-fructose corn syrup from its menu by the end of this year. But it noted there would be exceptions, including co-branded products like Doritos Locos Tacos. 
 
 On Friday, the company said its latest national product launch on July 2 would be Cap'n Crunch Delights, similar to doughnut holes filled with icing. Ashley Sioson, a Taco Bell representative, said in an email the new dessert will have artificial colors and flavors. 
 
 Taco Bell is among a number of major food makers dropping artificial ingredients from products to improve their images. 
 
 Taco Bell is owned by Yum Brands Inc., which also owns KFC and Pizza Hut. ||||| share tweet pin email 
 
 Taco Bell 
 
 Back in the day, the only dessert available at Taco Bell was a little packet of their crispy, churro-adjacent Cinnamon Twists. They were sweet and crunchy, but nothing special. In short: dessert was not the reason you went to Taco Bell. 
 
 This next offering may change all of that. Next month, a dessert item that the munchie-centric chain has been testing will roll out nationwide: Cap’n Crunch Delights, sweet little doughnut holes filled with creamy milk icing and enrobed in a delicious layer of Cap'n Crunch Berries cereal crumbs. 
 
 The chain says feedback from 26 California test locations was “overwhelmingly positive,” as was the response on social media, with reactions on Twitter ranging from “I just yelled NOOO in a positive way” to “this is my entire life.” 
 
 The treats will be available beginning July 2 in packs of 2 ($1.00), 4 ($1.69) or 12 ($4.49) in all Taco Bell locations across the nation. 
 
 Happy National Doughnut Day, indeed.
– Depending on your point of view, Taco Bell's latest creation is either culinary atrocity or genius deliciousness: It is the Cap'n Crunch Delight, which Today describes as "sweet little doughnut holes filled with creamy milk icing and enrobed in a delicious layer of Cap'n Crunch Berries cereal crumbs." The menu addition comes as something of an asterisk to Taco Bell having recently joined the trend of chain restaurants pledging to reduce or ban artificial ingredients from their menus. When it did so, the AP notes that Taco Bell exempted co-branded menu items like its Doritos Locos Tacos. The new dessert is out July 2.