Easter candy Peeps contain chemical linked to CANCER
Easter Candy Warning, As Report Says Marshmallow Peeps Contain Chemicals Linked To CANCER — And More Than A BILLION Of Those Will Be Eaten This Easter
- A consumer group is calling for a ban on Peeps because they contain Red Dye No. 3
- The FDA is ‘actively reviewing’ the petition
- Red dye No. 3 is found in more than 3,000 foods in the US
A consumer watchdog is calling for Peeps to be removed from shelves this year because they contain a chemical linked to cancer.
The radiant marshmallow chicks are an Easter staple, and Americans are expected to consume a billion of them this weekend.
But Consumer Reports, a nonprofit campaign group, warns that certain flavors contain a chemical called Red Dye No. 3.
Since the early 1980s, studies have shown that the additive can cause cancer in laboratory animals in very high doses and has been linked to behavioral problems in children.
More than 16,000 consumers have signed a petition sent to Just Born Quality Confections, the company behind Peeps, to remove the dye from their products.
A consumer watchdog is calling for Peeps to be removed from shelves this year because they contain a chemical linked to cancer
The consumer group said the Food and Drug Association ignored a letter last month making the same request.
“Parents should know that the purple and pink Peeps they put in their children’s Easter baskets are made with an ingredient known to be a carcinogen,” said Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist for Consumer Reports, in a press release.
“Just Born Quality Confections should stop making its iconic marshmallow confections with this dangerous food chemical as other less risky alternatives are readily available,” Hansen said.
The FDA is “actively reviewing” the petition.
Red dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is an artificial compound mainly used for food coloring.
In 1990, the FDA banned the use of Red No. 3 dye in cosmetics because of an association with thyroid tumors in laboratory rats, although the dye is still present in nearly 3,000 foods in the US. nine certified food additives used in foods such as “confections, beverages, breakfast cereals, ice cream cones, frozen dairy desserts, popsicles, icing and icing.”
The varieties that Red Due No. 3 include the Pink Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies, Lavender Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies, Hot Tamales, Peeps Hot Tamales Marshmallow Chicks, Party Cake Peeps, Peeps Fruit Marshmallow Chicks, and Peeps Wildberry Marshmallow Bunnies.
The FDA, following the ban on Red No. 3, has stated that the “risk of developing cancer from Red No. 3 does not exceed 1 in over 100,000 over a lifetime of use.”
There may also be a link between red dye No. 3 and hyperactivity and other ‘non-behavioral problems’ in children, according to a 2021 study report from the Ohio Environmental Health Association.
Two studies found that red dye No. 3 is in more than one in 10 candies in the US, and that more than 80 percent of children under the age of two had consumed it in the past two weeks.
In addition, a Brazilian study found that red dye No. 3 can cause toxic damage to DNA and also cause permanent transferable changes in strains.
The consumer group’s report follows recent efforts by California lawmakers to ban food additives, including red dye No. 3, from candies such as Skittles and Sour Patch Kids.