CHARLOTEE, N.C. (WTVR) - 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 aChange.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.
Leake and Hari don't substantiate any of these claims, however.
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.
