Easter candy Peeps contain chemical linked to CANCER

A consumer watchdog is calling for Peeps to be pulled from shelves this year because they contain a chemical linked to cancer.

The radiant marshmallow chicks are a staple at Easter and Americans are expected to consume a billion of them this weekend.

But Consumer Reports, a nonprofit campaign group, is warning that certain flavors contain a chemical called red dye No. 3.

Since the early 1980s, studies have shown the additive can cause cancer in laboratory animals in very high doses, and has been linked to behavioral issues in children. 

More than 16,000 consumers have signed a petition sent to Just Born Quality Confections, the company behind Peeps, to strip the coloring agent from its products.

The consumer group said that the Food and Drug Association had ignored a letter with the same request last month.

‘Parents should know that the purple and pink colored Peeps they may be putting in their kids’ Easter basket are made with an ingredient that is a known carcinogen,’ Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist for Consumer Reports, said in a press release. 

‘Just Born Quality Confections should stop making its iconic marshmallow treats with this dangerous food chemical since other less risky alternatives are readily available,’ Hansen said. 

Red dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is an artificial compound primarily used for food coloring. 

In 1990, the FDA banned red dye No. 3 from cosmetics, though the dye still remains in nearly 3,000 foods in the U.S. It is one of the nine certified food additives used in foods such as ‘confections, beverages, cereals, ice cream cones, frozen dairy desserts, popsicles, frostings, & icings.’

The varieties containing red due No. 3 include the Pink Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies, Lavender Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies, Hot Tamales, Peeps Hot Tamales Marshmallow Chicks, Party Cake Peeps, Peeps Fruit Marshmallow Chicks and Peeps Wildberry Marshmallow Bunnies. 

The FDA has stated after its ban of red due No. 3 that the ‘risk of getting cancer from Red No. 3 is no larger than 1 in over 100,000 over a lifetime of consumption.’