I can’t believe I just ate Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with Lisa Leake from 100 Days of Real Food.
Here’s why I did it…
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. Kraft reformulated their product for the UK, but not for their fellow American citizens, and it’s time we demand the same here in the US!
That’s why we are petitioning Kraft to remove all artificial food dyes from their line of macaroni and cheese products.
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.
Here are the reasons why they need 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 nutritional 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…
- Go to our petition page and sign your name
- Share our petition with your family and friends
- Watch our video below to learn more about our mission (and see us taste test the mac & cheese products ourselves)
We both grew up eating this product – Lisa used to feed it to her kids – I see it in homes of my family members and it’s available at almost every grocery store across the country.
Our kids deserve to have the safer version as our friends overseas!
Join us and demand this change by signing this petition now.
Thank you for all your support – together we can make a difference.
XOXO,
Food Babe
Seriously so thankful I found your website! These things are so unacceptable! I wish America could just get it together! Lol
I’m thankful for you Emily!
Signed – gladly!
Signing right away! Thanks so much for all you do, we are a team but your the LEADER!
Done! You ladies are so inspiring and have helped my family become even healthier–we thought we were doing pretty well until we took a good hard look at our labels! Thanks for your commitment to healthy living.
Eww! I can’t tell you the last time I bought any boxed mac and cheese. I knew the dyes were harmful, but I had no idea they were petroleum based. Nasty!
Ruth – I had a really hard time eating it – TRUST ME. I bet you can tell looking at my face on the video!
Is there a link to share the petition with others?
Yes, after you sign there is a share link underneath 🙂
Thanks Ladies! Great video!
I shop at Fresh & Easy regularly and have noticed that I find a lot more products that have artificial ingredients I avoid. Then I realized it is because it is a British company and a significant amount of the foods are British. My English husband and I make trips there regularly for their nitrate free British bacon, even though it is out of the way.
Cool – interesting! I’ve never seen one of those stores before.
Eeek! I meant DON’T have artificial ingredients. Maybe they are a west coast thing.
SIGNED!!!! xxox
This is funny, I was just complaining, to myself, that I have to pay so much more for the natural brands of mac and cheese, just to avoid these dyes. I thought to myself, “self, you should really email kraft about this.” Now I can just sign the petition. Thanks.
We are so happy to help!
I still miss boxed mac’n’cheese. Horrible I know, which is why I refuse to buy it, but it used to be a family favorite. Maybe it should have been a clue that my son who does not like cheese, LOVED Kraft Macaroni!! Hoping to see some positive change here!
SIGNED!! Gladly 🙂
signed!
Signed 🙂 Who would feed this to their children anyway???
Just signed and posted it on my fb. Hopefully others will be compelled to get involved!
Thanks for starting this. I ate this as a child but I don’t buy it for my children. Unfortunately they do eat it at other’s houses on occasion. I hope this is successful and can lead to even more change it so called “kids foods.” I will pass this along to family and friends and pray that we can all make a change.
Signed:) Thanks for the info:)
thank-you . I have read that they want or are putting aspertane (sp) in milk but don’t want to put it on the
label. Is this correct information is there aspertane in milk.
Yes! The dairy industry is trying to petition the FDA to allow aspartame. It’s horrible.
It is SO far past time that we did something about these issues of toxins in our food. Because I have several serious health issues — not the least of which is intestinal permeability and chronic inflammatory disease — I have experienced numerous problems with foods containing dyes and other toxins for years, and find it nearly impossible to eat anything but fruits, vegetables and nuts/seeds. But now, even health food markets are lying about carrying toxic and GMO foods, so one never knows what they’re actually getting.
I remember many years ago when Kraft conducted a survey to determine whether consumers would eat genetically modified foods. I and many others said no. But obviously they didn’t listen.
Thank you so much for going to the lengths that you’ve gone, Food Babe. I am already a food activist, and would gladly participate in any way I can to help. Signing the petition is only the beginning.
Tried to sign but keep getting an error message 🙁
I signed the petition.
SIGNED! 🙂
Signed!
Gross! I will never buy this product again. I just threw out the boxes I had in the pantry. Thank you so much for all you do. I’m learning a lot and am disgusted at these big food companies.
Signed!
For some reason my kids don’t like the Kraft brand, they like the ones from Trader Joe’s or Annie’s Organic or the Whole Foods Whole kids line!! It’s ridiculous the stuff that has food coloring even marshmallows have food coloring!!! I’ve been cutting out food color from my grocery list for a couple years now… we mostly buy our snack foods from Trader Joe’s all the TJ label items have no artificial coloring!!!
You shouldn’t eat marshmallows anyway, they have gelatin in them!!
I’m so happy to see this petition. I hope that this has a big impact and Kraft actually listens to us…and then other companies follow suit!
Processed food companies (i.e. Monsanto) are in bed with big pharmas. Put unnatural additives in food that cause children to become, among other things, hyperactive. The benefit to big pharmas? The multi-million dollars in profits they make prescribing Ritalin and Adderall to millions of innocent children. Then, of course, there is also the payout on the other end – when the cancer sets in and they get to kill patients with ‘the cure’ – yet more profit. And, don’t even get me started on the side-effects of these drugs. Its an absolute disgrace what corporate America is getting away with where our health and well-being is concerned. I am glad to see more people stepping up and demanding long overdue changes. Keep up the great work!!
Signed it! Thank you for spreading the word!
Signed! Thanks for the post, ladies!
Could we also get GMO’s out while we are at it? Haven’t bought a Kraft product in years.
I wish you luck at trying to make a difference. Ideally, no one should ever eat a mass produced industrial food like but people do eat them. I think it will take a very large portion of the population to really make some noise before anything changes. Since the food, drug, chemical and media companies are all one and the same most people don’t realize they are eating poison and they don’t really care. As long as people are eating low fat, low salt, low calorie garbabe they think they are eating healthy.
Do you have a side-by-side list of the ingredients in the american and uk versions?
Happy to help out. Kraft Foods like all other large global corporations exist only to produce profits for their shareholders. They are only minimally interested the the nutritive value or safety of their products. Artificial food dyes are inexpensive and their use maximizes their profits. Abuses are legendary in the food production business. In the past, bakers added chalk to whiten bread and sweets manufacturers loaded candy with vermilion (which contains mercury), red lead, white lead, verdigris (which is a copper salt), blue vitriol (which contains copper) and Scheele’s green (which contains both copper and arsenic).
Kraft Foods like all other large global corporations exist only to produce profits for their shareholders. Artificial food dyes are inexpensive and their use maximizes their profits. Abuses are legendary. In the past, bakers added chalk to whiten bread and sweets manufacturers loaded candy with vermilion (which contains mercury), red lead, white lead, verdigris (which is a copper salt), blue vitriol (which contains copper) and Scheele’s green (which contains both copper and arsenic).
We were not allowed to eat boxed food when I was a child, thankfully. My granddaughters eat Mac and Cheese but not the Kraft brand. They eat the organic brand, hopefully that doesn’t have banned dyes in it!
I was in Von’s today, our local market and as I was searching for food I can eat I noticed that most of the end caps were stocked with processed, sugar laden foods that have no nutritional value. I think I need to make a change and shop elsewhere.
Thanks Food Babe
Signed!
I forwarded to my sister your blog with the information on the dangerous ingredients in the US food supply that aren’t in the same products in other countries. It changed her life! She’s become very interested in what’s in her food, and began changing her eating habits immediately. Thank you!!
Signed!! Also I bought the Harmless harvest coconut water and I love it!! thanks for the suggestion 🙂
signed, gladly — thanks for your hard work!!
I will sign the Kraft petition right away! Can you tell me why these companies add these nasty chemicals if we don’t need them? What is their purpose? Thanks
Why buy prossessed foods? Learn to make macaroni & cheese, it tastes better anyway and you don’t have to worry about GMO’s or preservatives etc. Companies like Kraft would change the crap they market in response.
I know we should worry about the dye in our food, but what about the cheese??? Is that real???? If we all stop buying this product, they might get the hint. 🙂 This country is only worred about one thing, the bottom line and that’s money, not people.
We love you too! Thank YOU for starting this! Only TOGETHER can we make change. Your efforts are not in vain Vani, and we are behind you all the way.
Thank you Vani & Lisa!!!! I was so happy to sign this petition!
Too everyone that is throwing their boxes of mac & cheese in the garbage, how about returning it to the store where you purchased it and let them know exactly why you are returning it. It just might help get the word out that we don’t want this junk in our food.
signed! thanks for posting this information!
SIGNED!!
I am torn between agreeing with you and thinking that you shouldn’t eat that stuff for so many other reasons! I wouldn’t even know what was in mac n cheese in Australia, I have never bought it or eaten it. As I learn more about our food system, I’m finding that there are fewer and fewer processed foods that I am comfortable eating. Even some that are marked “organic” are questionable. The more I can make myself the better….
Signed & thank you so much for your work. There is no reason these substances should be on our food. Companies should make healthy products for ALL countries!!
Signed and shared on my blog’s FB page and my personal one, too! This is a sore subject for me.
Signed.