The additives, the bloggers say, are ‘tasteless and potentially dangerous’, as the colourings have been associated with hyperactivity in children, allergies and migraine headaches. They also contend that the food additives are contaminated with known carcinogens and are manmade in a lab with chemicals derived from petroleum.
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As the petition reached 200,000 signatures, Kraft responded:
Thanks for contacting us. The safety and quality of our products is our highest priority and we take consumer concerns very seriously. We carefully follow the laws and regulations in the countries where our products are sold. So in the US, we only use colours that are approved and deemed safe for food use by the Food and Drug Administration.
We expanded our line of Kraft Mac & Cheese offerings. We know some people prefer foods without certain ingredients – we now offer a multitude of products without added colours, as well as products with natural food colours including 14 different products.
Lisa and Vani replied: “We commend Kraft for responding to our petition, but they are missing the bigger issue. Approximately 30 Kraft Macaroni & Cheese products still have dangerous artificial dyes and this is unfair to the children lured by these products (several packages showcase cartoon characters), unfair to the less fortunate who buy these products because they are cheaper, and unfair to the uneducated consumer that is unaware of these harmful ingredients.
“If Kraft’s ‘safety and quality’ of their products is their ‘highest priority’ and they ‘take consumer concerns very seriously’, then why have they continued to use a questionable ingredient that requires a warning label in Europe? Don’t they have a responsibility to be proactive and do the right thing for their own country’s citizens?
“Kraft removed artificial dyes in their UK product due to the public’s perception of health risks and consequences – they are an American Company – still selling this product to us, but not to others.”
The internet is a powerful tool for galvanising public opinion. With already over 200,000 signatories, it will be interesting to see if Kraft makes a further response.
Source: ABC/Huffington Post/Fox News/YouTube
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