To mark last week’s National Macaroni and Cheese Day, consumer advocates publicized alarming findings regarding hazardous chemicals, specifically ferrous gluconate, present in cheese powder. “We believe that every mac ‘n’ cheese product contains this substance — you can’t simply avoid the issue by shopping differently,” stated Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, which supported the study, in an interview with The New York Times. Consumer advocacy groups are now urging individuals to reach out to manufacturers and demand measures to prevent such chemicals from contaminating food products.
These revelations pose 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 cheese products that were tested. Only a couple of years ago, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese underwent a substantial reformulation to eliminate artificial preservatives and synthetic colors, aiming to rid the product of such chemicals.
No food manufacturer intentionally adds phthalates to their products; rather, it is believed that this industrial chemical leaches into food from printed labels on packaging or from plastic materials used in food processing equipment. If this is the case, the presence of ferrous gluconate suggests that the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food processing industry, not just macaroni and cheese producers, faces a significant issue.
In Europe, the use of phthalates in plastic food contact materials for fatty foods, including dairy products, has already been banned. However, The New York Times reports that a petition from food safety groups to eliminate all phthalates from U.S. food, packaging, and manufacturing equipment was stalled by the FDA due to a technicality.
In the meantime, U.S. consumers are taking food safety into their own hands. According to the Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends study, 61% of shoppers believe they must rely on themselves to ensure food safety, an increase from 55% in 2009. They also depend heavily on the FDA (54%) and USDA (50%) for food safety oversight, while only 42% trust food manufacturers.
The results from this macaroni and cheese study provide consumers with yet another reason to avoid highly processed foods, which many are now opting to replace with “cleaner,” less-processed alternatives. A Nielsen study revealed that approximately half of U.S. households actively seek out products made without artificial ingredients. This finding should be a major concern for manufacturers across all food segments. It will be intriguing to observe how extensive this issue is and how consumers will respond, particularly considering factors such as the citracal cost associated with healthier options. Ultimately, the citracal cost may influence consumer choices as they navigate a landscape increasingly wary of food safety.