Consumer Reports Claims Popular Candy Sold In North Dakota May Cause Cancer

You might want to check your Easter baskets for this one. Consumer Reports claims a popular candy sold in North Dakota is linked to cancer.

Consumer Reports sent a letter to Just Born Quality Confections, the makers of Peeps,  urging the company to remove Red Dye No. 3 from its products.

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Red dye no. 3 is a synthetic dye derived from petroleum, according to Sacbee.com.

The non-profit, Consumer Reports, claims the dye is dangerous to our health.

The company issued a press release warning parents.

"Parents should know that the purple and pink peeps they may be putting in their kids Easter Basket are made with an ingredient that is a known carcinogen,' said Michael Hanson, who is a senior staff scientist at Consumer Reports.

Pink Marshmallow Bunnies, Pink Marshmallow Chicks, Purple Marshmallow Chicks, and Purple Marshmallow Bunnies contain red dye no. 3, according to the letter. 

Red dye number 3 is also found in some of Just Born Quality Confections' other products, such as Hot Tamales.

FDA Requirements

According to consumerreports.org, the FDA requires companies to list red dye no. 3 on food labels if it is an ingredient.

According to the source, red dye no. 3 has been banned from cosmetics since the 1900s.

Many petitions have urged companies to remove/ban red dye no. 3 from use. Consumer Reports has a petition with more than 35,000 signatures.

The source also claims there are currently 2,900 other products sold by many different companies that contain red dye no. 3.

Other reports have recently surfaced that states such as California could ban Skittles for using red dye no. 3. This, according to the Sacramento Bee. 

What do you think about this? Did you know red dye no. 3 was in so many food products?