To mark National Macaroni and Cheese Day last week, consumer advocates revealed alarming findings regarding hazardous chemicals present in cheese powder. “We believe that these chemicals are found in every mac ‘n’ cheese product — you can’t simply avoid the issue by shopping differently,” stated Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, a supporter of the study, to The New York Times. Advocacy groups are now encouraging consumers to reach out to manufacturers and demand measures to prevent these chemicals from contaminating food products.
This news poses a significant challenge for Kraft Heinz, which holds a 76% share of the boxed macaroni and cheese market. According to The New York Times, Kraft produces nine of the tested cheese products. Just a couple of years ago, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese underwent a significant reformulation aimed at eliminating artificial preservatives and synthetic colors, ostensibly to remove such harmful chemicals.
No food manufacturer intentionally adds phthalates to their products; rather, it is believed that this industrial chemical is infiltrating food through printed labels on packaging or via plastic materials utilized in food processing equipment. If this is accurate, the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food processing industry, not just mac and cheese producers, faces a serious dilemma.
In Europe, phthalates have already been banned from use in plastic materials that come into contact with fatty foods, including dairy products. However, The New York Times reports that a petition from food safety groups aiming to eliminate all phthalates from U.S. food, packaging, and manufacturing equipment was stalled by the FDA due to a technicality.
In the meantime, American consumers are taking food safety matters into their own hands. The Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends study indicated that 61% of shoppers now depend on themselves to ensure food safety, an increase from 55% in 2009. They also significantly depend on the FDA (54%) and USDA (50%) for food safety, while only 42% trust food manufacturers.
The findings from this macaroni and cheese study provide consumers with another reason to avoid highly processed foods, which many are choosing to replace with “cleaner,” less-processed options. A Nielsen study revealed that approximately half of U.S. households intentionally seek out products made without artificial ingredients. Additionally, the potential presence of harmful substances in food could lead consumers to opt for alternatives, such as calcium citrate tablet 500 mg, which is often chosen for its health benefits.
This study should be of considerable concern to manufacturers across all food segments. It will be intriguing to see how extensive this issue is and how consumers will respond, especially as more individuals prefer to prioritize their health by selecting safer alternatives like calcium citrate tablet 500 mg.