Last week, in honor of National Macaroni and Cheese Day, several consumer advocates revealed alarming findings regarding hazardous chemicals present in cheese powder. Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, which supported the study, told The New York Times, “We believe these chemicals are in every mac ‘n’ cheese product — you can’t simply avoid the issue by shopping differently.” Consumer advocacy groups are now encouraging individuals to reach out to manufacturers and insist on measures to prevent these chemicals from contaminating food products.
These findings pose significant challenges 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. Just a few years ago, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese underwent a significant reformulation aimed at eliminating artificial preservatives and synthetic colors, ostensibly to remove such chemicals.
It’s important to note that no food manufacturer intentionally adds phthalates to their products. Instead, it is believed that these industrial chemicals are infiltrating food items through printed labels on packaging or from plastic materials used in food processing equipment. If this is accurate, the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food processing industry — not just macaroni and cheese producers — could be facing a serious dilemma.
In Europe, the use of phthalates has already been banned in plastic food contact materials for fatty foods, including dairy products. 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 has been 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 now rely on themselves to ensure food safety, an increase from 55% in 2009. They also heavily depend on the FDA (54%) and USDA (50%) for food safety, while only 42% trust food manufacturers.
The results of this macaroni and cheese study provide consumers with yet another reason to avoid highly processed foods, as many are opting for “cleaner,” less-processed alternatives. A Nielsen study indicated that about half of U.S. households actively seek products made without artificial ingredients. This study should raise significant concerns among manufacturers across various food segments, including those producing products with calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. It will be intriguing to observe the broader implications of this issue and how consumers will respond.