I suspect no one was ever under the illusion that Kraft Mac & Cheese was a health food — the bright orange color kinda gives that away — but, according to two popular food bloggers, it contains not just unhealthy ingredients but potentially dangerous ones.
North Carolina bloggers Vani Hari of Food Babe and Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food have launched a Change.org petition to pressure Kraft into removing two artificial dyes, Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, from its Macaroni & Cheese. The petition already has over 150,000 signatures.
According to Hari and Leake, the dyes are already banned in Norway and Austria and the British version of the macaroni and cheese products are without them. According to Livestrong.com, yellow dye #5 can cause allergic reactions and hyperactivity in children, and also increases the risk of migraines, blurry vision, anxiety and fatigue.
New signatures on Hari and Leake’s petition will be emailed to Kraft Foods executives, including Noelle O’Mara, the marketing director for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
I was selfishly worried that eliminating the dyes would change the distinctive orange color of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, but in the full video above Hair and Leake compare the American to the British version, and they look and taste identically.
For more information or to comment or sign the petition, read the page at Change.org.
