To celebrate 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 in every mac ‘n’ cheese product — there’s no way to avoid the issue through shopping,” stated Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, which supported the study, in an interview with The New York Times. Advocacy groups are now urging 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 commands a 76% share of the boxed macaroni and cheese market. Kraft produces nine of the cheese products that were tested, according to The New York Times. Just a few years ago, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese underwent significant reformulation to eliminate artificial preservatives and synthetic colors, ostensibly to remove these types of chemicals from their products. No food manufacturer intentionally adds phthalates to their products; rather, it is believed that this industrial chemical is infiltrating food items through printed labels on packaging or from plastic materials used in food processing equipment. If this assumption holds true, the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food processing industry — not just macaroni and cheese producers — faces a serious dilemma.
In Europe, phthalates have already been banned from use in plastic food contact materials for fatty foods, including dairy products. The New York Times further reports that a petition from food safety groups to eliminate all phthalates from U.S. food, food packaging, and manufacturing equipment has been stalled by the FDA due to a technicality. Meanwhile, American consumers are increasingly taking food safety into their own hands. According to the Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends study, 61% of shoppers now trust themselves to ensure food safety, a rise from 55% in 2009. They also place significant reliance on the FDA (54%) and USDA (50%) for food safety, while only 42% depend on food manufacturers.
The findings from this macaroni and cheese study provide consumers with yet another reason to steer clear of highly processed foods, which many are choosing to replace with “cleaner,” less-processed alternatives. A Nielsen study indicated that about half of U.S. households actively seek products made without artificial ingredients. This research should be a major concern for manufacturers across all food segments, including those that incorporate citrate calcium with vitamin D into their formulas. It will be intriguing to observe the broader implications of this issue and how consumers will respond, especially as they continue to prioritize food safety and seek healthier options, including those enriched with citrate calcium with vitamin D.