Bill to ban chemicals in Peeps moves forward in California, exposing the food industry’s dirty little secret

The original recipe for bright pink Peeps is at the center of a controversy over potentially problematic chemicals found in many foods. While it’s common knowledge that junk food contains bad ingredients, we now know more about which ones are particularly problematic and, more specifically, potentially carcinogenic.

A bill to ban four food-related chemicals, including red dyes, has been introduced in the California Senate after a fifth chemical was removed as part of the law change.

While many candies across the board need to switch their recipes to something healthier, pink Peeps are among those that need it most. Peeps’ bright pink color is achieved by dyes like erythrosine, a chemical listed as “Red #3” on ingredient labels. Other chemical dyes like titanium dioxide for white — which is also found in Peeps — have been linked to cancer. (To be fair, Skittles, Starburst, Ring Pops, Hot Tamales, and Trolli also use titanium dioxide to achieve bright colors in candy.) Peeps were introduced in 1953 as children’s yellow marshmallow chicks, and the other bright colors with these ingredients followed decades later.

Rep. Jesse Gabriel (D), who represents the California State Assembly’s 46th District in the San Fernando Valley, authored House Bill 418 and said he wanted to ban the chemicals — not necessarily the candy. According to Gabriel, the above chemicals are already banned by the European Union (EU) and other countries.

“It is unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to food safety,” Gabriel said. “This bill will not ban any food or product – it simply requires food companies to make minor changes to their recipes.”

Gabriel named potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben, also banned in the EU, as ingredients that need to be removed. A previous bill would also have banned titanium dioxide, but changes in the state Senate removed that chemical from the ban. Some of these ingredients are found in virtually all processed foods, including bread, Jell-O, etc.

A case study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 involves a man who developed growths on his fingers (pictured here) after consuming brominated vegetable oil in Ruby Red Squirt. (However, he drank eight liters a day.)

Gabriel said last summer that alternative ingredients were readily available. By making expensive, albeit minor, changes to their recipes, confectionery manufacturers can do what has already been done in the EU.

@mercnews makes the point by supporting #AB418, our bill to ban five dangerous chemicals already banned in Europe:

“If the candy manufacturers don’t do the right thing, the legislature has to do it. The scientific studies provide sufficient concern that California should not continue to put its children at risk” https://t.co/Fg0N1qrhae

— Jesse Gabriel (@JesseGabrielCA) July 14, 2023

Gabriel quoted Mercury News in a post on

The food industry’s 30-year-old dirty secret

Researchers have known that the pigments are carcinogenic for at least 30 years: In 1990, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of red No. 3 dye in cosmetic products such as lipsticks, powders, blushers and skin-care lotions based on research suggesting it caused cancer can lead. If something isn’t safe for your skin, it might not be safe to eat.

If this confuses you—considering how widespread the use of erythrosine and titanium dioxide is—you’re not alone: ​​Last year, a consumer filed a lawsuit against Mars for knowingly allowing the use of a “known toxicant” in candy products had. The class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and attorneys for San Leandro resident Jenile Thames said Skittles are unsafe for consumption because they allegedly have elevated levels of titanium dioxide.

In 2016, Mars announced that it would phase out titanium dioxide, also known as E171, but this plan does not appear to have been fully implemented. Jaydee Hanson, senior policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety, said at the time: “We are pleased that MARS has taken a positive step towards eliminating toxic, unnecessary nanomaterials from its food range.” We are calling on the company to accelerate the removal of these additives , particularly given the serious health concerns associated with titanium dioxide and other nanoparticles.”

Don’t forget aspartame

In other recent news, other ingredients have been labeled as carcinogenic. Aspartame is used in Coca-Cola’s Diet Coke and is also used to sweeten Mars’ Extra chewing gum.

Last summer, the World Health Organization (WHO) Cancer Research Agency said aspartame was a possible carcinogen. WHO officials have contradictingly said aspartame could potentially cause cancer, but also said it was safe to consume. IARC, the research arm of the WHO, classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” after Italian researchers found it caused blood cancer in rats. You decide.

The FDA also appeared to allay consumer concerns: “Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human diet. FDA scientists have no safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions,” the FDA said in a statement.

Many people in the US say they actually prefer candy with a little less sugar and sweeteners. If candy feels safer in Europe than candy in the US, that’s the case, and it’s not just the excessive sugar content you need to worry about.