Skittles quietly phases out controversial food colouring amid crackdown
Conversations about ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have hit a fever pitch in recent years, especially on platforms like TikTok where influencers routinely share their cynicism over what various additives and preservatives might be doing to our bodies.
The concerns have become a major point of content for the Trump administration, namely for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Along with recently announced bans on various food colourings, RFK Jr’s department has just released a report into the UPF landscape in the US, focusing primarily on their potential impacts on children’s health.
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The report says that as much as 70% of a US child’s calorie intake is coming from UPFs, and it raises concerns about the health implications this might pose whilst laying out proposals for increasing the volume of fresh, whole foods in kids’ diets.
While the Trump administration works to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ – albeit while its health department is being led by a prolific anti-vax conspiracy theorist – manufacturers are making moves to get ahead of further bans on various food additives.
Confectionery giant Mars has quietly made a change to its Skittles recipe, bringing its US product in line with regulations it has had to meet in the European Union since 2022.
Titanium dioxide, a colouring additive, was banned by the EU in 2022 over potential health risks. While there are no known health risks in humans, tests on animals have found a correlation with increased risks of lung cancer when it’s inhaled.
Mars stopped using the colouring in its US version of Skittles late last year. In 2016, the company said it would remove ‘all artificial colours’ from its foods to reflect changes in customer preferences.
Titanium dioxide, a white pigment, is common to bakery goods, sweets, cosmetics and paints, and it’s still legal to use in the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand.
"Our commitment to quality is what has enabled Mars to be enjoyed by consumers for over a century, and nothing is more important than the safety of our products," a Mars spokesperson said in a statement.
"All our products are safe to enjoy and meet the high standards and applicable regulations set by food safety authorities around the world, and that's something we will never compromise on."
Rachael Davis