Makers of Peeps urged to remove cancer-causing dye from marshmallow candies

The makers of popular Easter candy Peeps are facing pressure to remove a food dye from the marshmallow treats due to health concerns over the artificial colouring.

On Monday, consumer advocacy and research nonprofit Consumer Reports said in a press release that it had contacted Just Born Quality Confections earlier this year about concerns over the company’s use of Red Dye 3, which has been found to cause cancer in animals.

According to the watchdog group, after not receiving a response from the confectioners, it is now calling on consumers to convince the company to stop using the dye with a petition.

“Consumer Reports is alerting consumers that the purple and pink Peeps candies popular this time of the year for Easter are made with Red Dye 3, a known carcinogen,” Consumer Reports said in the press release.

The organisation then quoted Michael Hansen, PhD, a senior staff scientist for Consumer Reports, who said that “parents should know that the purple and pink coloured Peeps they may be putting in their kids’ Easter basket are made with an ingredient that is a known carcinogen”.

“Just Born Quality Confections should stop making its iconic marshmallow treats with this dangerous food chemical since other less risky alternatives are readily available,” Hansen added.

According to Consumer Reports, in an effort to convince companies to stop using the ingredient, it delivered a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed by nearly 35,000 consumers.

Consumer Reports also included a list of nine different Peeps and other candies manufactured by Just Born made with the ingredient, such as Peeps Pink Marshmallow Chicks and Peeps Lavender Marshmallow Bunnies.

On the FDA’s website, it notes that Red Dye 3 is approved for use in food and ingested drugs. However, the agency states that the colouring “may no longer be used in cosmetics, external drugs and lakes,” a decision that was made after studies found a “carcinogenic response in rats”.

“Red Dye 3 has been banned by the FDA from use in cosmetics since 1990, but inexplicably is still allowed in food,” Hansen said in the statement. “The widespread use of Red Dye 3 is particularly concerning since it is found in many products marketed to children who are especially at risk of developing health problems from exposure.”

In a statement to The Independent, Just Born, a family-owned candy manufacturer based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, defended the use of the food colouring in its products on the basis that it is “currently an approved colourant for use in candy by the FDA”.

“FD&C Red 3 is currently an approved colourant for use in candy by the FDA. We manufacture all our candies in compliance with FDA regulations, sourcing our ingredients and packaging exclusively from reputable suppliers who adhere to high quality and safety standards,” the company said. “We also provide consumers with information on our packaging and our websites to help them make informed choices about our products.

“Our product development team is continually exploring opportunities to provide expanded options for our consumers, including colours derived from natural sources that can deliver the same visual impact and stability as their certified counterparts.”

According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organisation that joined the petition to the FDA, Red Dye 3 is found in more than 2,000 food products.

The Independent has contacted the FDA for comment.