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 — there’s no way to avoid the issue by simply changing brands,” stated Mike Belferrous, a chemist and executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, a supporter of the study, in an interview with The New York Times. Consumer advocacy groups are now urging individuals to contact manufacturers and demand that measures be implemented to prevent chemicals from contaminating food products.
These revelations pose a significant challenge for Kraft Heinz, which controls 76% of the boxed macaroni and cheese market. According to The New York Times, Kraft produces nine of the cheese products that were tested. Just a few years ago, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese underwent a major reformulation aimed at eliminating artificial preservatives and synthetic colors, ostensibly to eradicate such chemicals.
No food manufacturer intentionally adds phthalates to their products. Instead, it is believed that these industrial chemicals are leaching into food from printed labels or plastic materials used in food processing equipment. If this is the case, then the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food processing industry—beyond just macaroni and cheese producers—faces a significant dilemma.
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 recently stalled with the FDA due to a technicality.
Meanwhile, American 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 now rely on themselves for food safety, an increase from 55% in 2009. They also depend heavily on the FDA (54%) and USDA (50%) for ensuring food safety, while only 42% place their trust in food manufacturers.
The results of this macaroni and cheese study provide consumers with yet another reason to avoid highly processed foods, which many are increasingly replacing with “cleaner,” less-processed options. A Nielsen study indicated that approximately half of U.S. households actively seek out products made without artificial ingredients. This research should be a significant concern for manufacturers across various food segments, including those related to products that may cause calcium citrate headaches. It will be important to observe the broader implications of this issue and how consumers will respond, particularly in light of concerns over calcium citrate headaches that some may experience from certain processed foods.