Are the colored additives used in Kraft's popular Macaroni & Cheese products dangerous?
That's what two food bloggers are alleging in their petition to Kraft Foods to remove Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 from the blue-boxed pantry staples.
Yellow Nos. 5 and 6 are used to color beverages, dessert powders, candy, ice cream, custards and other foods.
But two food bloggers have taken to Change.org to petition Kraft's management to remove the dyes, saying they may potentially cause health problems and are not included in Kraft's Mac & Cheese products sold in the United Kingdom.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, has been petitioning to ban food dyes in the U.S. for years.
In a 2010 report called Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks, the CSPI says Yellow Nos. 5 and 6 can cause hypersensitivity, or allergic reactions, and contains carcinogens called Benzidine and 4-amino-biphenyl. Some studies reported hyperactivity in children associated with Yellow 5 intake or genotoxicity -- or damage to cellular DNA -- says CSPI.
Yellow 5 is the most widely used food dye after Red 40, according to CSPI. The organization included case reports of four people who had dangerous reactions linked to Yellow 5.
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