Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ingredients called into question by concerned Moms

[Redfairen]

Kraft is taking some heat from two food bloggers from North Carolina. The couple perused the ingredients list for the kids food, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and noticed that it contains the dyes Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, which give it its distinctive cheesy-orange hue. Some studies have linked those particular dyes to cancer.

Vani Hari and Lisa Leake launched a Change.org petition on Tuesday, which has already collected more than 130,000 signatures, calling on Kraft Foods to remove artificial dyes Yellow #5 and Yellow #6 from Macaroni and Cheese products.

According to the petition, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in other countries such as the United Kingdom does not contain these ingredients, the dish, called Cheesey Pasta in the U.K., gets its color from paprika and beta-carotene.

In Europe, it is mandatory for foods that contain ingredients like dyes to carry a warning label on the packaging. In some countries, such as Austria and Norway, the ingredients have been entirely banned.

http://wtvr.com/2013/03/08/kraft-macaroni-and-cheese-ingredients-called-into-question-by-concerned-moms/

[Rabid_Rabbit]

1. Thanks for the info

will go sign the petition

[SidDithers]

2. Which studies have linked those dyes to cancer?...nt

Sid

[Redfairen]

5. Here's a link.

PDF link to report on food dyes from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf

[Myrina]

3. No! My ears can't hear this!!

Kraft Mac N Cheese is one of my few remaining childhood guilty pleasures!!

[HappyMe]

7. I know.

I had some just the other day. I had a small amount of leftover chili that I mixed in.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. they changed the macaroni several years ago

I'm not even sure it's still pasta, but we still eat it every once in a while too.

[Petrushka]

12. Mine, too!

Gonna have my Kraft Mac N Cheese, as planned, this afternoon.

Not as bad for me as that other Lenten go-to: Bumble Bee (recalled) tuna.

[juajen]

73. I don't think we are eating tuna any more. I can't stand the stuff I am buying

at the store that says "tuna". Tastes like Hell. I am even afraid to give it to my cats. It's just mush, and tastes metallic. I also like mac and cheese. They need to take the dies out of it pronto before I stop buying all together. That would include other family members refusing to purchase also.

[Aerows]

76. Uh-oh

What happened to Bumble Bee tuna? I have some in the cabinet right now. Heck I ate a can of it the other day.

[marybourg]

77. go to www.fda.gov

[Petrushka]

82. Here's a link about the recall . . . NOW including Chicken-of-the-Sea tuna --->

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/03/08/bumble-bee-expands-tuna-recall/

[Aerows]

84. :( I had to toss my Chicken of the Sea

At least I found out before I ate it.

[Petrushka]

85. Good that you found it . . . hope you didn't have to toss more than one can!

The locusts in THIS house make it necessary to buy at least six cans of tuna at a time and, so, I sorta crossed my fingers when I checked the tuna supply in the pantry. Thankfully, there was nothing left but 3 small cans of Meijer store-brand plus a 9 oz. can of Bumble Bee solid-pack albacore . . . and, so, not only didn't we need to toss out any tuna (yet!), of course I'll have to put "tuna" on the grocery list.

[Romulox]

18. Does it taste the same to you? The current version seems more bitter than I recall as a kid...

I can't put my finger on it...

[ChazII]

20. Strange taste? For me

it depends. The original tastes the same but for me, the curly pasta and cheese taste different.

[Myrina]

22. No, it doesn't ... and I used to buy the 'additional cheese' too ...

.... that Kraft sold (in a bright blue canister) along with their Parmesan. Was excessively bummed when that went off the market (10-15 years ago?).

What they sell now on Amazon, I suspect, is vastly different from the product we grew up with too.

[Jamastiene]

19. That was my first thought too.

I literally feel like sticking my fingers in my ears and saying, "LALALALALA, I can't hear you!"

I hope they don't screw up Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. If it is only color, that's fine, but if they feel the need to add something to it for color in place of those dyes, I just hope it does not change the flavor. I still can't get used to the new Ovaltine with beet juice. They have worked on it some, but the flavor is still "off." I miss old Ovaltine.

[subterranean]

29. Have you tried Annie's mac 'n' cheese?

The taste is similar to, or even better than, the Kraft version, and it contains no artificial colors (annatto extract is used for coloring). It costs a little more than Kraft, but you can often get it on sale for around a buck.

[Samantha]

30. Yes I have! and this is what I buy for my two grandchildren

They love it. I purchase it at MOM's -- My Organic Market.

Sam

[Arugula Latte]

32. That's what I get.

I add a little butter to the sauce, which is less healthy but more creamy and delicious.

I just stocked up on them the other day at a buck a box.

I also make homemade mac from time to time.

[HockeyMom]

4. My husband makes great Mac and Cheese

from scratch. It is not difficult. When you cook it yourself, you will know exactly what is in your food. Buy real cheese and not the processed fake stuff.

[NJCher]

8. that's right, and control fat, too

I make my own with ricotta, cottage cheese, a little cheddar, and evaporated milk plus a few other ingredients. One can control the fat better by making one's own.

Also, to keep glycemic level down, I use whole wheat macaroni, not white.

I wouldn't touch any packaged products put out by America's corporate food system. Yuck. Never, ever.


Cher

p.s. posting my recipe


Low Fat Macaroni and Cheese
¾ cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup low fat (skim) cottage cheese
½ cup part skim ricotta cheese
½ cu low fat shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 pinch ground pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 lb. whole wheat elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 350

Cook pasta according to package
instructions. Heat the milk in a saucepan
over low heat. Add the cheeses until they
melt, stirring constantly. Stir in the nutmeg
and pepper. Remove the cheese sauce from
the heat, add the cooked pasta and mix well
Pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole
dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and
bread crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes until
bubbly and top is browned.

Makes 6 (1 cup servings) Per Serving: 250 calories, 3g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 37g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 200 mg sodium, and 17g protein

[Phentex]

15. Not to mention the salt!

I'm all for avoiding unhealthy chemicals and dyes when possible. But it seems odd that someone concerned with their child's health would give them this version of mac and cheese in the first place. This product is not being forced on their kids.

[subterranean]

34. No, but maybe they're concerned about kids other than their own.

Kraft sells the product without the potentially carcinogenic food dyes in other countries; why not do the same here? My guess is that it might raise the cost by a few pennies and they're afraid that would cut into profits.

[HockeyMom]

40. Sharp brick cheddar and crushed plum tomatoes

The tomatoes add something special and cut the cheddar a bit. We have a Food Saver and portion it into bags, or containers. That way it can be portioned for lunches, or dinners, and just microwaved to heat. Kraft? No way!!!

[Auggie]

52. Homemade is a billion times better

[Fawke Em]

6. I make my own and it tastes better.

Granted, I do mix in some Velveeta (fake cheese) with real cheddar and milk to smooth it out, but, at least I know what's in there.

[Berlum]

9. Mutant Corporate Foodlike Substance sucks

As anyone paying attention should be well aware.

[Robb]

10. Annie's makes a "blue box" version that tastes similar enough to Kraft to fool the kiddo.

Color in that courtesy Annatto extract.

[TM99]

13. I used to eat the Annie's version when I ate cheese.

If I remember correctly, Trader Joe's also has a similarly 'healthy' alternative to Kraft.

I am shocked that only now is anyone paying attention to this. Kraft Mac and Cheese has been a horrible & unhealthy processed food product for decades!

[pipi_k]

17. I've tried it...

and it's very tasty!

[Petrushka]

14. Old article ---> "Kraft looks to replace artificial yellow 5 and 6 in macaroni and cheese"

http://www.whydye.org/2012/06/kraft-looks-to-replace-artificial-yellow-5-and-6-in-macaroni-and-cheese/

[marias23]

16. Homemade Mac & Cheese

You'll find four great recipes in "American Wholefoods Cuisine" (p112) which use only natural ingredients and whole wheat noodles.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. I make a gluten free, to die for, Mac and cheese.

We just don't do it often, it's very rich.

[BrotherIvan]

24. Please share!

I'd love to find a wheat and soy free mac n cheese recipe!

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. First find quinoa noodles

Cook nodes as normal

For the cheese part, make a white sauce using potato starch, half and half, milk salt and pepper. Add shredded cheese, we use a four cheese mix, pour noodles on oven pan and mix the sauce. Top with crushed corn flakes and bake at 325 for half an hour ten broil to brown for ten minutes.

Trying to get the right amounts is a must. I literally lifted it ( and modified it) from triple D. The first time it was any too peppery.

[REP]

44. Try adding dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to your base

Your recipe is the same as mine except mine isn't gluten free (and no cornflakes); I don't eat it - I make it for my husband and others; it's said to be extremely good.

I use sharp cheddar, asiago, Romano, Parmesan and the white rind of a cheap bleu cheese. And any leftover hard cheeses hanging around.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. I will...

[REP]

46. TJ's has rice pasta; don't know if that's appropriate for Celiacs

Me, I just don't like pasta very much

[nadinbrzezinski]

47. Rice pasta falls apart

Quinoa keeps the right consistency, has a good mouth feel and tastes good.

[REP]

48. So ... appropriate on one level, but not on another :-)

[nadinbrzezinski]

49. Exactly. It took some trial and error to find it

Hubby loves pasta, he loves the quinoa.

[BrotherIvan]

55. I have tried the quinoa and quinoa and organic corn

They cook well and taste pretty good. We don't eat much pasta or grains at all if we can help it around here but sometimes I miss my old favorites. I use potato starch as well as algae thickeners, but those are tricky. One thing I have experimented with that I *love* is the Jovial einkorn flour and pasta. No gluten sensitivities here or digestion problems. Plus it makes things taste fantastic that I use it in.

Thanks!

[nadinbrzezinski]

56. Oh you welcome

Hubby still gets his fresh baked bread.

Lol.

[marybourg]

78. There are also wonderful buckwheat (it's not wheat)

penne and spirals that I like even better than the quinoa ones and than the rice ones. The brand is Orgran (I have no financial interest). I don't bake mine; just a stove top meal adding chopped hard-boiled eggs and pimento-stuffed olives or, alternately, chopped broccoli and cooked ham.

[Iggo]

25. Make it for me!

Then I will be happy.

<---- Like-a this.

[madmom]

23. There is something about yellow dye #5 that makes me

break out in hives and get all itchy, so I've been reading labels, looking for it for years! You will be surprised at all the products that contain this dye. Mac and cheese would be the least of my worries.

[subterranean]

35. Yes, Yellow #5 is known to cause hypersensitivity in some people. nt

[madmom]

36. Yes and it's in everything from food to shampoo and make up.

[madmom]

43. Gee, what did I miss?

[Prism]

26. From my cold dead hands

I don't eat it often, but when I want comfort, curl-up-on-the-couch, I-want-my-mommy food, the blue box it is.

[BainsBane]

60. ever try Trader Joe's mac and cheese?

From the frozen food section? It's really good IMO.

[Prism]

69. I haven't!

Is noms? I need to make a TJ's run after work, so mayhaps I'll nab some.

I tried their Wisconsin Cheddar boxed kind and it was . . . many kinds of wrong.

[BainsBane]

70. I mean the frozen kind

and it's very good and creamy. It's nothing like the boxed kind. It's more like what you might make yourself. They have a low guilt kind. Scrap that and go for the regular mac and cheese.

[Prism]

72. I'll give it a whirl and let you know =) n/t

[Puglover]

79. My husband loves it with

tuna and diced tomatoes. I prefer it plain when I indulge.

[Prism]

80. I'm a strict originalist

I make it according to the box (maybe a little less butter). And it must be eaten immediately, piping hot.

My mom's habit of throwing hot dogs into it did not survive into adulthood.

A buddy mixes it with black beans. That feels like it could go either way.

[Ikonoklast]

27. Beta-carotene has also exhibited carcinogenic properties in higher doses.

If you ingest enough of any substance, it seems that the result is an increased cancer risk.

[unblock]

28. yikes, i lived on that for a couple decades. here's how it evolved into something much healthier:

i made incremental changes, which is a key strategy to changing a comfort food. one change every few weeks.

- don't add salt
- use half the recommended butter
- switch to annie's organic
- switch to annie's organic whole wheat
- replace butter with just a quick splash of olive oil
- lower to a minimal amount of milk, just enough to spread the cheese around
- add a little frozen organic peas/corn/carrots/green beans
- add a little frozen organic broccoli/cauliflower
- increase the proportion of veggies -- by now it's literally more veggie than pasta.

all these changes were gradual and easy enough to keep it a comfort food i can make in my sleep (hence the frozen veggies instead of fresh chopped).

ok, it's still fundamentally mac & cheese, but a far cry from just a box of kraft!


- my latest modification has been playing around with herbs and spices. my favorite combination is:
black pepper
cayenne
garlic
garam marsala mix
turmeric
and sometimes cinnamon

yum

[NJCher]

66. excellent post/advice

[juajen]

74. I'm sorry. Maybe that is good, but it is not comparable to our comfort food.

[unblock]

81. that's why i made small incremental changes.

i didn't move on to the next change until it felt like comfort food again.

[unblock]

31. question for those who make mac&cheese from scratch: what's a good, healthy emulsifier?

whenever i've tried making mac & cheese with actual cheese, it separates and looks disgusting.

is there a good way to keep it smooth and homogenous and yet still healthy?

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. I make a white sauce using potato starch. After that is cooked I add the cheese and

Mix in, at low heat until it melts.

[longship]

59. I make a béchamel sauce and pour it over the cassarole before I bake it.

I use Pinconning extra sharp cheddar. Spicy! And from here in MI. When you make the bechamel, put some of the cheese in it just when it's almost done. (About 1/3 of the cheese, stir well until it's melted and mixed well. Also, add spices to the béchamel. I use some cayenne and salt.)

Assemble the cooked (a dente) macaroni and chunkily chopped cheese. Toss together, then pour the béchamel sauce over it. Toss again and top with bread crumbs and whatever trips your trigger. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until it's all bubbly and top is crispy.

The secret is aged very sharp cheddar and the béchamel. You'll never have yucky Mac n' cheese again.

The ultimate comfort food. Best when made from scratch.

[nadinbrzezinski]

61. We are doing almost the same

And now you've done it...salad and Mac n cheese for Monday.

We got some stew for tomorrow. We were not hungry, but I needed to get it cooked.

[longship]

62. My mother would make a carrot salad with Mac n' Cheese.

That was the meal for the evening. She made a big cassarole and it never made it for leftovers. The family would leave tongue tracks in the big bowl.

When I'd make it, I'd use a pound of cheese, chopped chunkie. About 1/3 for the béchamel, the rest folded in with the cooked macaroni.

It's fast and easy and tastes yummy.

Sharp cheddar is the secret. No mouse cheese allowed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

64. It is tasty

We will have leftovers, two adults and two parrots can't finish it.

But the carrot salad sounds tasty.

[unblock]

63. cool, thanks!

[muriel_volestrangler]

65. Make it as a white sauce, aka bechamel sauce

Melt the butter. Stir in an equal weight of flour, mixing until it's smooth. Remove from the heat. Add the milk, a bit at a time, and stirring until smooth before adding more. When all added (and how much you add depends on how runny you want the final result - experiment, or find a complete recipe), heat it again, stirring frequently (constantly once it starts to thicken) until it's just starting to boil. Add salt, pepper and mustard to taste (I have no idea how well American mustard would work; but English mustard works fine, and is, I think, basically just a stronger version of American, so you're probably all right). Remove from the heat, and add the cheese, stirring yet again until it's smooth. If you need to reheat it, do it gently, and do not allow it to boil with the cheese in - it may separate.

Healthy? Well, I'm not making any claims about low-fat ...

[sir pball]

71. Flour-based cheese sauce works well, but even better is sour salt.

Which you can find pretty easily. Make sure it's sodium citrate and not citric acid and follow this recipe.

Yes, I know, OMG CHEMICAL - it's ok, sodium citrate is produced from table salt and lemon juice, and predates the synthetic food era. Wouldn't be economically feasible to synthesize it anyway. Here's an all-naturals food place that sells it...it might even be organic.

[Paul E Ester]

33. They could always stop feeding this poison to their kids.

Pasta made out of chemicals, covered in chemicals what could be more nutritious and delicious.

B vitamins niacin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid and riboflavin, ferrous sulfate. whey (milk protein), milk protein concentrate, milk, milkfat, cheese culture, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium phosphate and calcium phosphate, Yellow 5. Yellow 6, citric acid, lactic acid and enzymes

Everything a growing young human needs to stay healthy.

[Javaman]

37. Many of the same ingredient are used in a twinkie. Read this book

and be shocked into never eating processed or packaged again.

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats

http://www.amazon.com/Twinkie-Deconstructed-Ingredients-Processed-Manipulated/dp/0452289289/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362771088&sr=1-1&keywords=deconstructing+the+twinkie

[FarCenter]

38. Have some Cheetos -- yellow No 6.

It is not yellow no. 6, but some impurities in it that are potential carcinogens.

[RebelOne]

51. I bought a box of Betty Crocker Macaroni and Cheese.

I have not tried it yet, but I checked the ingredients and there are not any dyes in it, I'll fix it this weekend and see if the taste is as good as Kraft's.

[Peter cotton]

53. Don't mess with my Kraft M&C.

[Kalidurga]

54. Somehow I thought that this was going to be about...

GMOs, growth hormones, and or antibiotic contamination. But, I guess it's good that someone finally noticed that boxed pasta might not be such a good thing to feed kids and or anyone else.

[Honeycombe8]

57. I'm not surprised. Watch out for those heavily processed foods.

I try to read labels. I may eat the product anyway, but at least I sorta know what I'm eating. Sometimes, though, the list of ingredients is too appalling, so I pass that food up.

Not that I eat mac and cheese, anyway. Even without artificial dyes, it's not a healthy food.

[BainsBane]

58. Trader Joe's Mac and Cheese is awesome

In the frozen food section. Trust me.

[NJCher]

67. this has been a great thread

Lots of important food information.

It is good to see that there are many "food-aware" DU-ers.

Really and truly, American's corporate food system is a big part of our nation's health issues. We really need to understand what good food is, and clue #1 is that you can't have a national food system. It has to be regional because shipping products all over the nation requires salt and preservatives. Letting these big corporations get to that point was a big mistake. Letting them sell us convenience over nutrition was another mistake.

There are many, many good suggestions and thanks to all who offered their tips on how to make this dish healthier.


Cher

[Warren DeMontague]

68. having a kid who essentially lives on M+C. I'd second the recommendations for

Annie's for the boxed stuff, Amy's Kitchen or Trader Joes for frozen.

[moxie.lu]

75. artificial food dyes need to stop. n/t

[cherokeeprogressive]

83. I guess I should either be dead, yellow, or mutated somehow.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if, over the years, I've literally eaten a ton of Kraft Mac & Cheese.

Back in the '80s, there was a "generic" thing that was popular at grocery stores. The Albertson's my Navy roommates and I shopped at had a whole aisle of "generic" foodstuffs and we spent a lot of time there... it let us spend more on BEER lol. Anyway, one day I picked up a box of their "generic" mac and cheese (we never bought the stuff because it WASN'T Kraft) and on the bottom it said something like "Made for Albertson's by Kraft" and BOOM!!! we were like pigs in shit. $.25 a box! Needless to say, we had it every way imaginable: with hamburger, ham, Spam, bacon, you name it. I'd say we had Mac and Cheese at least 3 times a week and being young growing boys, we'd make 3-4 boxes at a time.

So, meh. Please pass the Mac and Cheese.