Food Bloggers Demand Kraft to Stop Using Food Dyes in Mac & Cheese

A campaign has been launched by two food bloggers Vani Hari- Food Babe and Lisa Leake- 100 Days of Real Food, demanding Kraft to stop the use of artificial food dyes in its Macaroni & Cheese.  

The two food bloggers created an online petition on Change.Org which states- Kraft: Stop Using Dangerous Food dyes in Our Mac & Cheese.

The two North Carolina bloggers noticed that the macaroni and cheese sold in the U.S. contained two harmful additives. And these harmful dyes were removed from the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese sold in the U.K. due to consumer outcry. The product is being reformulated in order to be sold in the U.K.

The petition gained more awareness after 60,000 people signed it, demanding for Kraft to remove the dyes from its Macaroni & Cheese that is sold in the country.

Reports according to the USA Today states that, the bloggers have posted a video on YouTube showing the difference between the U.K. version of 'Cheesy Pasta' and the U.S. product that has harmful dyes. They noticed no difference in taste, but just a little difference in color.

The two harmful additives are the artificial food dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. And according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the two colors are said to cause an increase in hyperactivity in children, hinder children's ability to learn, and is associated with long-term health issues such as asthma, skin rashes, and migraines.

Kraft representative Lynne Galia responded to ABCNews.com in an email stating, "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 U.S., we only use colors that are approved and deemed safe for food use by the Food and Drug Administration."

Hari and Leake helped draw attention to the fact the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese sold in the U.S. lacks the nutritional value and the coloring is simply used for an aesthetic purpose.