Eve is here. What a surprise! Junk food is really junky!
As a reminder, this study focuses on additives such as colorants. The industry counter-argument was that this analysis looked at lifetime consumption at a chronic level and was therefore not representative of normal consumption. However, due to cost and difficulty, these studies evaluate chemical inputs one by one. It’s not hard to imagine that consuming more than one on a regular basis can cause even greater health damage.
Written by Julie Zenderoudi, editorial intern at New Rede. Previously, he worked for Canada’s public broadcaster CBC News, producing interview segments and explanatory videos for the national broadcaster, and his articles have appeared in Slate, Off-Range, Prism, Brooklyn Paper, and elsewhere. First appeared in The New Lede
Some snack foods in American pantries contain “concerning levels of additives,” according to a new study by Consumer Reports and food scanning app Yuka.
Researchers tested 40 popular food items, from baked goods to ice cream to potato chips, and measured the levels of eight additives and two contaminants, comparing them to safe daily consumption thresholds set by health authorities in Europe and California.
According to Consumer Reports, none of the products tested exceeded current guidelines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The guidelines routinely allow levels of substances “much higher than levels considered safe by other public health authorities.”
Of the 13 products tested for Red Dye No. 40, a petroleum-based synthetic food coloring, five contained enough per serving to exceed daily safe levels for children as determined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).
Although considered more stringent than the FDA when it comes to risk assessment of food colors and additives, a 2021 OEHHA evaluation found that synthetic food colors are associated with “adverse neurobehavioral outcomes” in some children.
Researchers cited several products that significantly exceeded safety standards, including Hostess Donettes mini powder donuts, which were found to contain 19 times the amount of glycidol that California health officials consider safe for daily consumption. Little Debbie’s oatmeal cream pie contained more than nine times the safe limit for the same chemical, according to the study.
Hostess’ Donettes Mini Powdered Donuts contained 261 milligrams of titanium dioxide per serving.
Titanium dioxide will be banned as a food additive in the European Union in 2022 due to its potential for “damaging DNA or chromosomes”
“The levels found in Hostess Donette are particularly troubling given that this product is widely consumed in the United States, especially among children,” the report states.
JM Smucker Co., which makes Hostess products, did not respond to requests for comment on these findings. McKee Foods Corporation, which makes Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies, declined to comment.
Go to “Fair Point”
The findings have been met with some criticism because the analysis was based on daily consumption over a lifetime.
“That was probably my biggest criticism of their assessment,” said Eric Decker, a food science professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Decker explained that measuring “chronic exposure over a lifetime” can lead to overestimation, noting that some of the foods highlighted in the study could be considered “celebratory” foods that shouldn’t be consumed all the time.
“That’s a perfectly valid point,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. He added that although people may not routinely consume the specific products being evaluated, they may be exposed to red dye No. 40 and titanium dioxide through other foods in their diet.
“These types of chemicals, additives, and synthetic food colors are pervasive in our food supply,” Ronholm says. “Consistently consuming these synthetic food colors, chemicals, and additives across a variety of products definitely increases the risk of harm to public health in the future.”
The report said the findings highlight shortcomings in the current regulatory framework governing food additives in the United States.
Decker agreed that the agency could do more when it comes to safety assessments, noting that the agency is severely understaffed.
“The Trump administration is on the one hand saying these things are bad for you and should be reevaluated, but at the same time they’re constantly cutting positions at the FDA,” Decker said.
Nationwide promotion
The report comes amid a nationwide campaign against food additives by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which opposes ultra-processed foods, artificial colors, and other chemicals in food that are harmful to human health.
Last year, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and the FDA announced plans to phase out petroleum-based food colorings. At the time, former FDA Commissioner Marty McCulley said, “For the past 50 years, we have conducted the world’s largest unchecked scientific experiment on our nation’s children without their consent.”
In 2025, West Virginia banned the red, yellow, blue, and green dye groups from food starting January 1, 2028. California also passed a law last year phasing out certain ultra-processed foods from school lunches.
“We’re in a time now where we’re having the kinds of conversations we couldn’t have before,” Ronholm said.
