Activists Demand Kraft Stop Dyeing its Mac & Cheese

They say US should get the same version as rest of the world
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 8, 2013 10:33 AM CST

A pair of food bloggers are taking aim at one of America's most iconic delicacies: Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Lisa Leake and Vani Hari have as of this writing gathered more than 148,000 signatures on a Change.org petition asking Kraft to stop using food dyes in the product, giving US customers the same dye-free mac & cheese already sold in Europe, USA Today reports. European food safety laws generally forbid or discourage Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, so Kraft has devised a version without them that looks and tastes nearly identical.

Food dyes are used in a host of American groceries, but Leake and Hari say studies have linked them to hyperactivity, allergies, and learning disabilities in kids, and shown that Yellow #5 and #6 in particular can cause cancer. But Kraft points out that the FDA has approved the ingredients; the company says safety and quality are "our highest priority." Leake's reply: "If they say safety is their highest priority, why still use a questionable ingredient that has a warning label when used in Europe?" (More Kraft stories.)

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