Tell Kraft To Stop Using Dangerous Food Dyes in Our Mac & Cheese

SIGN THIS PETITION NOW: http://change.org/kraftyellow Hi - This is Lisa Leake from http://100daysofrealfood.com and Vani Hari from http://foodbabe.com

We recently discovered that several American food products contain harmful additives that are not used -- and in some cases banned -- in other countries. One of those products is an iconic staple that almost every American, us included, has had at one time or another: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the US contains the artificial food dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. These dyes are not in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in other countries, including the UK, because they are considered harmful overseas and were removed due to consumer outcry. It's time we demand the same here in the US!

We are petitioning Kraft to remove all artificial food dyes from their line of macaroni and cheese products.

Kraft, which is an American company by the way, has already removed this unnecessary - yet potentially harmful - additive from their products overseas but still serves it up to their fellow Americans. Here are the reasons we are asking Kraft to remove Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 from their entire line of Macaroni and Cheese:

Artificial food dyes...

- Are man-made in a lab with chemicals derived from petroleum (a crude oil product, which also happens to be used in gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt, and tar).

- Require a warning label in other countries outside the US.

- Have been banned in countries like Norway and Austria (and are being phased out in the UK).

- Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 specifically are contaminated with known carcinogens (a.k.a. an agent directly involved in causing cancer).

- Cause an increase in hyperactivity in children.

- Have a negative impact on children's ability to learn.

- Have been linked to long-term health problems such as asthma, skin rashes, and migraines.

- Add absolutely no value to the foods we are eating and are used solely for aesthetic purposes.

- To prove this last point we personally tested both the US and UK versions of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and found little difference in color and virtually no difference in taste (see for yourself in the video below).

So please...

1. Go to our petition page and sign your name - http://change.org/kraftyellow

2. Share our petition with your family and friends

We both grew up eating this product - Lisa used to feed it to her kids years ago - and it's available at almost every grocery store across the country. Our kids deserve the same as our friends overseas!

Kraft Foods is the largest food company headquartered in the United States. If Kraft changes their Macaroni and Cheese, we know this could inspire other food companies across the US to finally eliminate dangerous artificial food dyes once and for all.

Join us and demand this change by signing this petition now.

Thank you for all your support - together we can make a difference.

http://change.org/kraftyellow

• Category

  Nonprofits & Activism

[tylerg2002]

I love how there are people commenting on here "of you don't like what's in Kraft macaroni and cheese, don't eat it and shut up." How about, "if you don't like what the video says, don't watch it and shut up."

[JoaniesJourney]

It's amazing isn't it?

The reason they put crap in our food here in America is because most Americans have their heads up their own backsides and not only put up with it..they actually go out of their way to criticize people who are trying to do something about it.

That is the definition of IGNORANT.

[chris gometz]

sounds like shes saying CRAAAKK when she says Kraft lol

[John Doe]

To Opposers of the change: why do YOU care so much? The color MIGHT be slightly not as bright, but in the difference between eating food with petroleum oil derivatives as opposed to vegetable/plant extracts, what would YOU pick?

[John Doe]

To Canadians: yes, we get it, you LOVE KD. Chill out though, it's just the color that we want switched, not the entire food itself.

[quantumburrito]

Dyes are "made from chemicals derived from petroleum"? That's a very misleading statement. Petroleum is a raw material for scores of products including lifesaving cancer drugs and fertilizers that increase crop yield. In addition they say that food dyes are "linked" to cancer, but a link can be very strong or very weak. I appreciate their concerns but I think they need to do a little more research and study some basic science that would make their claims sound more credible.

[TheFrugal Gardener]

Grow food, not lawns.

[Coolins335]

GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY KD YOU SISSYPANTS'!

[Leahcim1947]

Every ingredient that makes up "Mac' and Cheese" can be bought in dry form allowing it to be premixed at home. Normal ingredients are: Pasta, Cheese, milk, butter, mustard powder (for zing) and salt. Do it yourself, make it safer, and less expensively. At the same time, if it is "for the kids", they can help.... better bonding, learning to cook, and better food. Are we really helping our health by living out of cans and boxes???

[Suzanne Wade]

What bothers me is that according to these lovely ladies, is that Kraft gives us Americans the cruddier version, while giving Britain a more natural version. I'm all for treating people well and treating them as equals!

[dhch40]

Not sure if you noticed but the women are wearing make up - lipstick - mascara, eyeliner - products on their hair and body that are full of artificial color and made of products that just as harmful as the ones they are describing - to use their line - "this is done for purely asthetic reasons" i.e. it make it look better - they use those products to make themselves look better - seems a bit hypocritical to me.