Hi there, this is Lisa Leake from 100DaysofRealFood.com and Vani Hari from FoodBabe.com. We recently discovered that several American food products contain harmful additives that are not used – and in some cases banned – in other countries. One of those products is an iconic staple that almost every American, us included, has had at one time or another: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
In the US, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese contains the artificial food dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. These unnecessary - yet potentially harmful - dyes are not in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in other countries, including the UK, because they were removed due to consumer outcry. Kraft reformulated their product for the UK, but not for their fellow American citizens, and it’s time we demand the same here in the US!
-
We are petitioning Kraft to remove all artificial food dyes
from their line of macaroni and cheese products.
Kraft Foods is the largest food company headquartered here in the United States. If Kraft changes their Macaroni and Cheese formula, we know this could inspire other US food companies to follow suit and finally eliminate dangerous artificial food dyes once and for all.
Here are the reasons why Kraft needs to remove Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 from their entire line of Macaroni and Cheese:
Artificial food dyes...
- Are man-made in a lab with chemicals derived from petroleum (a crude oil product, which also happens to be used in gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt, and tar).
- Require a warning label in other countries outside the US.
- Have been banned in countries like Norway and Austria (and are being phased out in the UK).
- Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 specifically are contaminated with known carcinogens (a.k.a. an agent directly involved in causing cancer).
- Cause an increase in hyperactivity in children.
- Have a negative impact on children's ability to learn.
- Have been linked to long-term health problems such as asthma, skin rashes, and migraines.
- Add absolutely no value to the foods we are eating and are used solely for aesthetic purposes only.
To prove this last point we personally tested both the US and UK versions of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and found little difference in color and virtually no difference in taste (see for yourself in the video below).
So please…
- Go to our petition page and sign your name.
- Share our petition with your family and friends!
- Watch our video below to learn more about our mission (and see us taste test the two different mac & cheese products ourselves).
We both grew up eating this product - I even used to feed it to my kids - and it’s available at almost every grocery store across the country. Our kids deserve the same safer version that our friends get overseas!
Join us and demand this change by signing this petition now.
Thank you for all your support - together we can make a difference.
Cheryl says
My husband passed this link to me for research. We too grew up on Mac and Cheese. In Canada, it is called Kraft Dinner and there are many varieties...whole wheat, creamier, etc. The ingredients only say "colour"...Tartrazine...a petroleum based food color. Thanks! I'm off to sign the petition.
Alison says
Amazing to see the momentum this is getting. I signed and shared the petition early on, and today the story was all over our local news in VA as well as the news radio station. Great work!!!
Jamie says
Switch to Annie's Mac & Cheese!
seretha anderson says
ir you dont like it dont eat it. stop messing things up for the rest of us
Marcie says
What does this mean? How is removing a harmful ingredient "messing things up for the rest of us"? Kraft has successfully reformulated this product in other countries without sacrificing taste. Please enlighten me on your comment. Thanks!
seretha says
i get tired of a of people who don't and think that everyone should feel the same. who feel they have a right to tell a bus. how to make a product. i have no problem with what kraft does
Amy says
This seems a little silly to me. If people cared what their children were eating, there are plenty of Mac and cheese alternatives for their kids.
King Arthur flour sells a powdered cheddar that you can make the same Mac and cheese for much cheaper (and flexibility with pasta shapes etc). And like cheddar cheese is supposed to be, it's white.
Who thinks that orange cheese is natural?! Milk is white!
Marcie says
This is not about the Mac and Cheese! This is about protecting the children of our country. At a minimum we deserve the same that other children around the world are receiving. Kraft is aware of the dangers of this product and has reformulated this product and others in countries where people care about ALL children, not just their own. Please stand up for the children that don't have a voice - whether or not you feed this product to your children is irrelevant. And you are right, no one thinks this product is natural. I wish this was silly, but this issue is very, very serious.
Katie says
Really?!? If you don't want your kids eating it, here's an idea: "Don't buy it!"
Stop trying to run other peoples lives and change things for people that have no problem with it. Maybe if you spent as much time with your kids and family instead of blogging, Macaroni and cheese wouldn't even be a thought in your mind! Get a life!
Marcie says
Wow! I am shocked and saddened by the negativity of your post. I completely agree that homemade is always best and I have never made this product for my family. However, I do recognize that there are many families that use this product and feed it to their children. Children that have no choice but to eat what is given to them. In all cases, I think the parents mean well and assume the food is safe. It is NOT safe and it is NOT okay to have these products on our shelves. I have to ask, Do you understand this issue? Do you think Europeans deserve better than Americans? Kraft has made these simple changes abroad. I am thrilled to see someone fighting for the health of our nation. In the end, whether you eat homemade or boxed everyone of us in affected. The illnesses caused by our food contribute greatly to the rising costs of our healthcare - costs that reach you directly through increases in medical insurance, increases in medical costs and increases in taxes. If we don't demand healthy food for ourselves, who will? I would also like to mention that this site is devoted to teaching people how to eat healthy and homemade. Clearly you do not use this site and have no real interest in teaching families and protecting children.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Katie - Your comment is rife with inaccurate assumptions about our lives. Yesterday Lisa was volunteering in one of our daughter's classrooms despite her cell phone blowing up from reporters wanting interviews. Blogging allows us to spend MORE time with our family since we work from home. And we don't buy it. If you spent any time exploring the blog it would be obvious that mac and cheese IS a thought in our mind because the blog is all about how to cut out processed foods. My reply below to a previous comment addresses your other statements.
We are concerned about the health of our children and ourselves, and stopped eating mac and cheese out of a box years ago (in addition to virtually all processed foods). Instead we make our own mac and cheese (here is the recipe, which is also at the end of the post). But with this petition we are trying to raise awareness and get people to start reading labels and thinking about what is in their food. It's a much bigger picture than this specific product, but this is one people can relate to. Food manufacturers lobby the FDA heavily (which relies way too much on industry funded research) so they can formulate their products for maximum profit (within the confines of the regulations they help set up) and to increase consumer demand (they are literally engineered to make you crave them…I know that sounds alarmist and over the top, but it’s true), and this almost always results in products that are of lower quality and nutritional value, and in some cases harmful due to food additives. Some other countries take the precautionary approach where additives are used only after being proven safe, but here in America an amazing number of additives (somewhere around 3,000 to 5,000) are used in the processed food we consume, and these are often added with very little oversight and testing. But the food industry WILL listen to the media and to consumers who vote with their dollars. It’s just a business decision on their end.
Beth Starke says
"Blogging allows us to spend MORE time with our family since we work from home. "
Then maybe you should get a real job, if you feel the need to raise a huge stink about MACARONI AND CHEESE in order to drive traffic to your pathetic blog. Is that what this is? A marketing ploy? You'll rebel to anything to increase your pageviews?
bill says
I admire anyone who stands up for feeding themselves and their family more nutritionally relevant foods however in all due respect this type of comfort food isn't nutritionally relevant and if you were so concerned about your children's health you shouldn't be feeding them food like this that is devoid of nutritional benefits and a diet rich in foods like this can only lead to obesity and possibly turn children into diabetics.
I applaud you for raising this issue and hopefully more families will cease to buy kraft mac n cheese and if they need to buy this type of food buy a brand that doesn't have this dye in it.
We live in a free market society and if they want to make harmful foods yet legal they can and if you want to buy a different brand then you can as well.
good luck
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hi Bill - We are concerned about the health of our children and ourselves, and stopped eating mac and cheese out of a box years ago (in addition to virtually all processed foods). Instead we make our own mac and cheese (here is the recipe, which is also at the end of the post). But with this petition we are trying to raise awareness and get people to start reading labels and thinking about what is in their food. It's a much bigger picture than this specific product, but this is one people can relate to. Food manufacturers lobby the FDA heavily (which relies way too much on industry funded research) so they can formulate their products for maximum profit (within the confines of the regulations they help set up) and to increase consumer demand (they are literally engineered to make you crave them…I know that sounds alarmist and over the top, but it’s true), and this almost always results in products that are of lower quality and nutritional value, and in some cases harmful due to food additives. Some other countries take the precautionary approach where additives are used only after being proven safe, but here in America an amazing number of additives (somewhere around 3,000 to 5,000) are used in the processed food we consume, and these are often added with very little oversight and testing. But the food industry WILL listen to the media and to consumers who vote with their dollars. It’s just a business decision on their end.
Silvio says
Why don't you teach people HOW to make mac and cheese and stop telling companies how to run their business!!!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Certainly making your own is best (we stopped eating boxed mac and cheese years ago). The last line in the blog post contains a link to our recipe."Now might be a good time to check out our homemade macaroni and cheese recipe!"
Amy says
Whew, you are level-headed and patient in your replies. A lot kinder than I would be! This person clearly didn't read the entire article.
Marcie says
Wow! I am shocked and saddened by the negativity of your post. I completely agree that homemade is always best and I have never made this product for my family. However, I do recognize that there are many families that use this product and feed it to their children. Children that have no choice but to eat what is given to them. In all cases, I think the parents mean well and assume the food is safe. It is NOT safe and it is NOT okay to have these products on our shelves. I have to ask, Do you understand this issue? Do you think Europeans deserve better than Americans? Kraft has made these simple changes abroad. I am thrilled to see someone fighting for the health of our nation. In the end, whether you eat homemade or boxed everyone of us in affected. The illnesses caused by our food contribute greatly to the rising costs of our healthcare - costs that reach you directly through increases in medical insurance, increases in medical costs and increases in taxes. If we don't demand healthy food for ourselves, who will? I would also like to mention that this site is devoted to teaching people how to eat healthy and homemade. Clearly you do not use this site and have no real interest in teaching families and protecting children.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Marcie - Thank you for bringing up a very good point. As an American that values liberty I do understand the "leave my processed food alone...just don't buy it" argument, but I AM affected by other people's choices due to increasing health insurance costs. My insurance premium just went up 10% last fall one month after opening the policy!
Broox says
If these dyes are such a well known health risk (and I'm not disputing that), why are you focusing on a petition with Kraft rather than on a petition to President Obama who claims to be so concerned about health & welfare of people? The President has a tremendous amount of influence over the priorities of the FDA which is responsible for collating the research data and setting the healthy boundaries for dyes and other chemical additives in food products. So, why not petition the President?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
That would certainly be fabulous, but we were going for a hopefully attainable goal. The food industry's lobbying power on our government is very, very strong. Baby steps.
Drew Silver says
Isn't this one of these cases where it is being completely overblown? Stating these ingredients have been linked to cancer, etc. may be true, but it is never mentioned the amount you have to consume to have an issue. I'm guessing it is way more than the "less than 2%" that is contained in mac/cheese. Kind of like Organic being overrated, as I have read many times, the levels of pesticides consumed are extremely low in relation to what would be deemed harmful.
Critical Reader says
The problem is, that the health risks are not as well documented as this article makes you believe. For me as a parent, the current data is enough to not buy stuff with artificial dyes. But for the regulatory agencies, the data is not enough for a ban. After the British Southampton Study back in 2007 both the FDA and the EFSA (European equivalent to the FDA) reacted and re-evaluated some artificial dyes. Both came to the conclusion, that in the amounts allowed and used, this artificial dyes are safe. Unless some striking new data comes out, the agencies are not going to overrule their recent evaluations - no matter, how much political pressure is involved. The only way those dyes out of the food system is by asking the manufacturers to do so. But, a word of warning. If you chase out the artificial dyes, natural dyes will be used and nobody knows if they are any safer.
Pete says
Why not simply make your kids mac n cheese not out of a box?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Great question. We do make our own (recipe is at the end of the post), and that is certainly the best choice. But we are trying to raise awareness and get people to start reading labels and thinking about what is in their food. Food manufacturers lobby the FDA heavily (which relies way too much on industry funded research) so they can formulate their products for maximum profit (within the confines of the regulations they help set up) and consumer demand (they are literally engineered to make you crave them...I know that sounds alarmist and over the top, but it's true), but they will listen to the media and to consumers who vote with their dollars. It's just a business decision on their end.
Paul Petry says
Yellow #5 is also used in another favorite kid food: Vlasic dill pickles.
For years, the natural spice tumeric has been used in pickles, which imparts a yellow color.
Why they choose not to use tumeric and instead use Yellow #5 is a mystery to me.
Add Vlasic pickles to your list.
Beth Starke says
#firstworldproblems
Send our dye-tainted macaroni and cheese to some starving African children, I'm sure they wouldn't complain about yellow 5.
Beth Starke says
This is the stupidest, most petty petition I have ever seen in my life and you should be ashamed for diverting resources that could be used to effect changes that actually matter. What are you, a teenage boy elbowing his friend to inform him that his mountain dew will shrink his testicles?
Grow up. If you don't like it don't eat it.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Beth you are totally missing the big picture. There are many "bigger" things that would be great to accomplish, but the lobbying power of the food industry on our government is very powerful. This is a baby step to not only hopefully improve a very common product, but to hopefully open peoples eyes along the way and set an example for other companies to follow. And we don't eat it.
Christine says
btw.. i also can't afford 100% organic but i do my best. an apple over a bag of skittles is still best..even if its not organic.
Christine says
@SAMANTHA
Why don't we ban everything? hmm why do we NEED the dye? what purpose does it serve?
It doesn't alter the flavor to take it out so why do you care if its in there?
Also.. the we ate all of that and we were fine is an old and tired argument.
We also didn't sit our kid in front of vid games or fb all day but the parents today do.
Parents back then also use to do a lot of things we no longer do (for the better).
If you dont like it..dont sign. I am not signing not because of the food dye but because I think with or without the dye.. its a bad food.
Why not just make your own? Its truly not that hard.. why not give your children real food?
I find the UK argument to be a dead one as well so i do agree with some of your points but the argument of well our parents ate it and they are fine is actually not always accurate.
I have learned when people go off like you do its because they feel attacked because they use those things.
IF IT DOESN'T EFFECT THE FLAVOR THAN WHY DO YOU CARE IF THE DYE IS IN IT..
This country is being duped by companies.. I hate being a sucker and they are making us suckers by what they put in our food.
They also used pesticides all over the food but we now know its best if we don't use it.
They have approved fake sugar yet back in the day..people were getting stomach cancer from TAB.
If you think that everything was mayberry back then, you are in a bubble!
I don't like being a sucker and to know they are shoving chemicals into us is just wrong.
They aren't telling them to ban mac and cheese but if they are removing the dye for other places, why not us?
Steph says
I just started reading your blog a few days ago. It is overwhelming to realize how much I didn't know or just didn't pay attention to. I have three young children and I feed them this mac and cheese quite often. I knew it wasn't a health food, but I guess I was very uneducated and maybe a little lazy. I am late to join this group, but I'm happy to be here. I want to thank you for helping me understand all of this! I am excited to start making some changes.
On a side note, I am SHOCKED that there are people out there who read your blog just to add their own negative comments. Don't they have anything better to do with their time? If they feel so strongly, why don't they get their own blogs?
Shellie says
I wrote about my own journey giving up processed food earlier this week and today, I tripped upon your article on Yahoo. I signed your petition and I think we as parents have the power to change how our kids eat, even if that means changing corporate america. Rock on girls!
Dawn says
If you are so concerned about your children's health, here's an idea, stop buying it and make your own mac n cheese or anything else you continue to complain about from scratch. As a single mother, I get so embarassed when other "women" complain about how difficult it is to raise kids and the choices that are out there. Maybe you should have thought about that before you had them. And regarding obesity maybe instead of buying your children computers and video games and any other electronic device and cell phones, maybe you shouldn't buy this stuff and show your kids there are other things to do except be on computers and electronic devices all day. Maybe they should learn how to grow gardens and recycle items instead of buying new. I also was able to work full time and cook home cooked meals on a daily basis, going out to eat was considered a treat. Usually after her basketball and softball games on the weekends. Quit complaining about things that YOU CHOOSE TO BUY AND ALLOW IN YOUR HOMES.
JMSH says
Wow, what a terribly misplaced rant! Do you not read this blog? The writers do not purchase Kraft Mac and Cheese and have made significant contributions to the "Real Food Revolution." As I see it, petitions like these serve the greater purpose of challenging the actions of Big Food. Why should their US version contain questionable food dyes while their other versions do not?
Dawn says
LOL, let me guess you probably hate animal cruelty but own leather in some capacity...belt, shoes, purse, coat. Take responsibility for what you choose to put on and into your bodies. It's as simple as that. IF you haven't read a label until just now and you're over 18 then the blame shouldn't only be on the companies making these products. Oh and I have read this blog for quite a while. Doesn't mean I agree with everything that is said. Plus I only choose to use internet 5 days a month so I don't get to rant, oh I mean, voice my opinion as much as you guys do.
JSMH says
Huh? What does animal cruelty have to do with anything? I'm not sure who you are directing your arguments at, but from the original post it sounded like it was the blog writers and much of the content had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand (tv? internet? growing gardens?). You are certainly entitled to your opinions, but I am also entitled to point out when they are completely irrelevant and provide nothing to the conversation, thus making them rants. Again, this is not about taking personal responsibility and blaming companies, this is about challenging their shady actions. Making two versions of the same product, one without questionable ingredients, borders on unethical, IMHO. You seem to like calling out other parents for not being as good of a parent as you are, so why shouldn't other parents call out Kraft for being unethical and shady?
Shellie says
I absolutely agree with you that as parents, we ultimately control what goes in our childrens' bodies. However, I'm with JMSH-this isn't just about making individual choices, it is about changing the food culture in the US where parents who can't make mac and cheese from scratch or can't afford to buy organic every day have the same options when it comes to nutrition with our children! We as parents need to be prepared to push the corporations to do right by our children whether that is with petitions, buying choices or raising our voices in a chorus to say enough is enough with the processed crap!
JMSH says
Right on, Shellie! You said it better than I ever could.
Hannah says
I have an even better solution for you than petitioning to change the coloring ingredients of mac and cheese, stop feeding it to your children! Its not healthy and that has very little to do with the color additives. Any sort of boxed macaroni and cheese will, without a doubt, kill you from obesity complications before cancer. Want to be a role model to your children? Give them healthier, homemade food and teach them to actually cook.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hannah - We stopped eating boxed mac and cheese in 2010 when we gave up processed food. We now make our own...check out the recipe here https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/12/31/recipe-whole-wheat-macaroni-and-cheese/.
Hannah says
OK, congratulations, you've solved the color additives dilema and not the fact that mac and cheese is not healthy!
My point above it that this blog seems to be so concerned with food additives and "toxins", which have never scientifically been proven harmful, that it forgets about the general health content of food. Despite the popular belief, substituting in whole wheat pasta does not make this recipe any healthier. This recipe still has the same fat and calorie content as before. If you want pasta, eat it with tomato sauce or pesto or a light butter/lemon sauce. In the long run, the complications from obesity will hit you harder and faster than any sort of food additives/preservatives in processed food.
Daniel J. McNelly says
OMG - Will we ever be free of busy bodies and do gooders?
NBfromOhio says
I've been a label reader for years. In our household, I try to purchase items without artificial colors. I also try to eliminate dyes, MSG, High Fructose Corn Syrup and even a natural coloring. Through our own testing by eliminating foods with ingredients, I discovered how much harm these ingredients can do, especially in children. Be aware! Even the Blue 1 in toothpaste and the lovely artificial colors in kid's vitamins can cause problems. It did with our children. There does not have to be a highly, sophisticated, costly, lengthy testing and studies, to tell me that these ingredients are harmful to everyone. Through the process of elimination did we discover the harmful effects.
I've said to many over the years that the FDA is controlled by big business. Isn't it nice that we have so many drugs to try to tackle health problems that could have been caused by what we ingest? The big pharm companies are in bed with the Feds as well. Big business is focused on $$$, profits first!!! The petition on Kraft is great, but the buck speaks. For all of you opposed to certain ingredients in your food, change what you do now. DON'T BUY PRODUCTS WITH THOSE INGREDIENTS! See how fast Companies will change their practices when their profits decline. There is freedom of choice. Use it! There is power in numbers. Unite!
Seriously, studies have shown that we are not a healthy nation. The mortality rate is increasing and for the first time, this aging generation (The Boomers") health is worse than the prior generation. Obesity, diabetes, ADHD... What do we want for ourselves, our children and for future generations?.
We deserve better! You have the ability to control your actions in what you purchase and what you and your children eat. Don't just wait... I didn't. Do what you can now! You can make a difference!
Chris says
I read a piece this morning on Yahoo about removing the coloring from Kraft Mac and Cheese. Is nothing sacred anymore? Please leave the M&C alone, Im sure it had brought you nothing but happiness and memories through the years.
Maybe try picking up a hobby? Golf Perhaps?
Samantha says
I totally agree with you Chris. At this rate, why don't they just 'ban' everything? Let the people decided what they want to consume, not let someone else do it for them. And for all those people who signed the petition because other people 'don't know better or can't afford it', that's just making a choice for them. I think a lot of today's generation and parenting is totally screwed up.
Anne says
Love this idea you and food babe had to take the protest to a national scale!
Greg says
All for getting rid of artificial dies in foods. Have a daughter that is allergic to red 40 and it is amazing what food products have it in it.
Congrads on taking this story national.
Robyn says
While I'm definitely concerned about the dyes, etc I'm also concerned about the fact Kraft is owned by Pepsi who has teamed up with Senomyx. The president has just approved senomyx's continued use of using ABORTED FETAL CELLS to product enhancements. This alone should be another reason to NEVER buy processed foods.
TornadoGirl says
Kraft Mac and Cheese isn't anywhere close to being "real food" whether it has artificial colors/preservatives or not.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Yes of course it isn't "real food." But a lot of people eat it (we starting making our own mac and cheese years ago) and we hope if changes are made with popular products and brands that others will follow. Change doesn't come quick...baby steps.
Stephanie says
Good luck with your efforts. Sadly, I don't think most people know or care that they are ingesting poison every single day.
Alex says
No, most people are not aware of the poison they eat.
That's why it appears as if Kraft has sent some corporate trolls to this site to knock this effort. The irrational and over the top rage is a red flag (or maybe a by-product of chemical additives!)
Heaven forbid, the general public gets educated about the poison in food and companies like Kraft have to raise their standard.
The yellow dye is a good and long overdue beginning, and there are many more needless chemicals including the ubiquitous and misleading "natural flavors."
Pin Pin says
Check out this podcast on NPR.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/26/172969363/how-the-food-industry-manipulates-taste-buds-with-salt-sugar-fat
Gerald D. Wootan D.O., M.Ed. says
I commend your efforts. Acturall most of the food dyes are made from coal tar. Goldfish are toxic. If you think food dyes are toxic you should research aspertame (nutrisweet).
jennifer says
You might want to rethink using the UK as your comparison. A study was just released saying their health as a nation is in sharp decline. They might not use dye in their Kraft, but the people run quite a high risk for a variety of diseases.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-reveals-uk-declining-health-high.html
Every country has it's downside nutritionally speaking. No country is perfect and never will be. Only in America, where the vast majority of our citizens have access to a hot meal every day, do we complain about the ingredients in everything. I understand your quest and personally think it's great, but so often I read this blog and can't help but think, gosh we're a bunch of pampered a-holes.
Samantha says
I don't see a change happening any time soon. The way I see it is, our parents grew up eating the same food that we did--technically, the food was 'worse' back then. And they came out just fine. It's more so the lifestyle of today's generation than anything else. Parents today are so paranoid of stuff that parents back then didn't consider as much as they do now. People have always known that the more convinent the food was, the more processed the food was. And yet people still eat it. And as long as there's still a demand for that, then nothing will change. I just try to follow the 80/20 rule and use common sense and my own knowledge as to what's 'healthy' and what's not.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Samantha - Please take a look at this article https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/12/newsflash-we-are-not-just-fine/.
Samantha says
Why don't you just ban everything else then that people eat? Because food dyes are in just about everything we consumer. I'm not signing the petition. I think all you crazy health parents are just that, crazy. You do way too much research. As I said, our parent's parents never had this kind of information back then and everyone grew up fine.My parents ate Kraft Mac n Cheese, fast food, and all the other 'bad' food you claim. They are now full grown adults and are perfectly fine and perfectly healthy. Parent's today are out of control about reading into everything they can. Just eat the food, exercise, and live life. Let your kid just be a kid.
And you may be asking why I'm posting if I disagree,well, it's just for that reason. I'm disagreeing. I have rights and freedoms as well as you people do about your 'real food', so I'm choosing to say why I think today's parenting is worse off than previous generations.
Tiffany G says
I used to feel the same way. I thought everyone was fine. People have been eating this way for decades now and everyone I knew were healthy. I thought my mom was crazy for changing her eating habits to organic and real food. If she would tell me about it I didn't want to hear it. And then my mother in law who has been healthy all of her life was diagnosed with cancer. We were devastated. Watching what that horrible disease did to her in just a few months and losing her to it was more than we could take. I started reading about the type of cancer she had and found out that it was more than likely caused by her diet infuriated me. Suddenly eating that way didn't sound so crazy anymore. If I can possibly prevent my husband or my children from going through what my mother in law had to go through I will do whatever it takes. I have been eliminating processed foods for a year now and I have never regretted that decision.
Autumn says
Samantha,
I think you are quite mistaken. I know for a fact my parents did not grow up eating this way. I would say that's true for the majority of our parents and especially prior generations as there were not as many processed choices out there. I don't even think there were as many processed choices out there when I was younger and it saddens me to think that you are being such a critic for no real reason. Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, but no one is forcing you to agree or even read this blog. I truly feel sorry for you. I am very thankful for Lisa and her team, it helps inspire me to feed my family in a more wholesome way instead of accepting that it has to be this way. I can't always buy organic, and right now we live in an apartment so gardening is mostly out of the question. I love reading about new resources and hearing how she does it. I am sorry that you can't see the value in people wanting to do better for their families.
Leanne Pressly says
Hi Lisa, LOVE your blog and read every post! Would love to see you do a post on the most common foods using these food dyes? I'm always shocked at what you uncover and appreciate all the time and effort you put into keeping my family safe. Thank you. PS gave our teacher the info about sweets in the classroom!
Demetria says
In many places in the world, to include what we in the US consider 2nd and 3rd world nations the governments ban many products we have in our foods. The move to real food should be considered natural like breastfeeding, not a fad or a movement. I hope we can change our social culture in the US, and people like you are helping parents to make informed decisions.
Demetria
Author of Herbal Healing for Children
Susan f says
http://action.sumofus.org/a/aspartame-milk
Copy and paste into you browser and you will be sent to a petition about stopping the addition of aspartame.
Mandy says
Great job ladies! Love what you are doing! Thank you!
Kim Rice says
I was delighted to see this story got picked up by Yahoo! News. Great job ladies!!
Diana @ Eating Made Easy says
Thank you for starting this petition! Although I don't eat Kraft products I know many families do and those dyes are so dangerous. I encourage everyone to read nutrition labels and know what's in your food.
Jamie says
I have one question: I signed the petition yesterday, and it said 14,025 signatures were needed. I saw last night that you had well exceeded this number. When I looked again today, it shows that 18,931 people have signed the petition, and that 31,069 signatures are needed. Why did the number change?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hi Jamie - Unfortunately there isn't a "magic number" we can hit that will result in Kraft taking action. Maybe that's 50k, maybe it's 200k maybe it depends more on media coverage of the petition than the actual #. So basically we have to get as many signatures as possible and hope Kraft sees the results as the voice of the consumer and decides to make a change. Change.org is set up to increase the goal...guess it's a psychology thing!
Heather says
I have learned so much from your blog and I commend you for what you have done. I am sorry that you have received negative feedback. I applaud you for educating all of us to make this country and all of us healthier. Keep doing what you are doing. We need more people like you. If people do not agree, then they need to move on and make the changes they feel necessary!
Blessings!
minal says
I don't buy anything Kraft anymore. For box Mac n cheese I buy Annie's when its on sale at target. Better to change my buying habits than expect chain from big giant industrial food Co. Peace and wisdom to all
Karen says
Agreed!
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents says
Thanks for this - thanks a LOT. I posted on my FB, Twitter, and Google + pages.