Maybe stick to the traditional yellow Peeps this year.
Consumer Reports warns that a certain dye known to be carcinogenic, Red Dye 3, is being used in some other colors of the popular Easter marshmallow confection.
This dye is also being used in other products made by the same manufacturer, Just Born:
- Peeps Pink Marshmallow Chicks
- Peeps Pink Marshmallow Bunnies
- Peeps Lavender Marshmallow Chicks
- Peeps Lavender Marshmallow Bunnies
- Hot Tamales candy
- Peeps Hot Tamales Marshmallow Chicks
- Party Cake Peeps
- Peeps Fruit Punch Marshmallow Chicks
- Peeps Wildberry Marshmallow Bunnies
This is not a new problem, according to CR, which asked the manufacturer to stop using the chemical earlier this year.
“Now CR is asking consumers to send the same message in a petition to the company,” the publication says.
Red Dye 3 is already illegal in cosmetics but appears in many other foods and supplements, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The Consumer Reports petition has more than 16,000 signatures. If you wish, you can add your name here.
To learn about other food ingredients that concern CR and other consumer advocates, check out “5 Food Ingredients That Should Be Outlawed, Consumer Reports Says.”