Here’s the Consumer Reports Newsletter I received today.

Halloween candy corn, Valentine’s Day candy hearts, and now…. Easter Peeps.  We promise we’re not trying to ruin all of your candy-filled holidays, but you deserve to know what’s in your food, especially special holiday ‘treats’ that are marketed for kids.

So when you’re stocking up to fill those Easter baskets this week, know that pink and purple Peeps contain Red Dye 3, a known carcinogen. 

This color additive has been banned in cosmetics sold in the U.S. for more than 30 years, but the FDA still allows it to be used in food – and it is in many candy and treats that are marketed to children. Consumer Reports is pushing the FDA to ban this dye in all food products like the European Union does, but right now we are calling on the company that makes Peeps to commit to ending the use of Red Dye 3 in its products. 

Join us by pushing the company that makes Peeps to stop using Red Dye 3! By speaking out together we can put real pressure on companies to use less risky alternative colorants, instead of waiting for the FDA to act.

Thanks to so many of you taking action, we are getting industry and the government’s attention on this long-neglected problem. Since the early 1980s, the FDA had evidence that Red Dye No. 3 caused cancer in laboratory animals, prompting the agency to ban the dye in cosmetics. The FDA said it would work to ban it in food as well – but it never acted.

Today, we’re delivering a petition to the FDA signed by nearly 35,000 consumers to enact the Red Dye 3 ban ASAP. And we’re pushing to pass a bill in California that would ban the dye in all food sold there – which would effectively change the U.S. food marketplace if passed.

But companies can act more quickly than the government. Especially if customers put on the pressure and demand change!  Join our petition to the maker of Peeps to get Red Dye 3 out of its candy. Families deserve better!

If you have friends and family with children, please share this email with them so they can be aware of the risk, and join with you in taking action.