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Bloggers lead campaign to remove artificial dye from Kraft Dinner

Two American bloggers are campaigning for Kraft to remove artificial dyes from its Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft Dinner here in Canada) in a petition that has already gained nearly 150,000 signatures.

Vani Hari, who blogs at Food Babe, and Lisa Leake, who writes at 100 Days of Real Food, are taking aim at dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, which they claim have harmful health effects and have already been banned in other countries, including Norway and Austria. They also say that the dyes have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

The FDA allows the dyes and says that food dyes are not linked to hyperactivity in children: “Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970’s, results from studies on this issue either have been inconclusive, inconsistent, or difficult to interpret due to inadequacies in study design.”

The pair points out that the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese sold in the U.S. contains the dye, while the same product — called Cheesy Pasta — is sold in the U.K. and is made without the dye. Both products taste the same and the dye isn’t needed, say Hari and Leake.

The pair launched an online petition at change.org as part of their campaign. It had already garnered nearly 150,000 signatures by Friday.

A comment form a Kraft spokesperson posted on the petition site says: “The safety and quality of our products is our highest priority and we take consumer concerns very seriously.” She goes on to point out that some Kraft products don’t contain the dyes in question.

 

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