Speaking Up

Food bloggers Vani Hari and Lisa Leake are petitioning Kraft to remove the dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 from its Macaroni & Cheese recipes.

Their petition, which has garnered national attention thanks to attention from Good Morning America and the Dr. Oz Show, has been signed by some 270,000 supporters within a week of its launch.

Artificially Cheesy

Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 are what give Macaroni & Cheese its bright coloration. Though science is still undecided about their causal role, the dyes have been associated with adverse health effects such as asthma, skin rashes, migraines and increased hyperactivity in children.

Kraft removed the dyes from British products when UK consumers caused an uproar. Hari and Leake claim the re-formulation resulted in no visual or taste differences.

The Kraft petition comes on the heels of 15-year-old Sarah Kavanagh's successful effort to convince Gatorade to remove brominated vegetable oil from its sports drinks.

Read More:

• Kraft Macaroni & Cheese chemical additives targeted by food bloggers (The Guardian)
• Teen Gets Gatorade To Change Recipe (Earth Eats)
• Bloggers petition Kraft to cut dye from mac & cheese (USA Today)