Peeps
are an Easter tradition in the US and Canada. People go mad for the neon-coloured,
sugar-coated marshmallows, especially during the holidays. Their fun shapes – chicks
and bunnies
– make them popular among kids even though the fluffy candies are the furthest
thing from tasty, rather like a sugary bit of couch cushion than the real deal. As any food manufacturer is wont to do, Peeps comes out with unusual flavours as holiday exclusives. With Easter just around the corner, the time has come
for these seasonal goodies, only this time Peeps has gone an entirely new
direction.
Peeps Oreos don’t sound the least bit
appetising. Chemical-laden and bright pink, these cookie-marshmallow mash ups
have been reported to colour the tongue. According
to Live Science the crème filling’s pink colour is achieved with FD&C Red
No. 3, a food dye that cannot be broken down by the body. Dr Ian Lustbader, a
gastroenterologist at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, said that the
artificial colouring goes through the digestive tract as a slightly-diluted pink
before coming out a darker shade. He claims that a couple cookies won’t affect
the body’s natural colours, but an excessive amount will.
The dye in question, FD&C Red No. 3,
has been a sore point for health experts in America for years. It has
questionable effects on the human body having been linked to breast cancer,
thyroid tumors and hyperactivism in children. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the dye from use in cosmetics and
external drugs in 1990, but claims that no health dangers have been shown
during its regular safety reviews in relation to human consumption. Confusingly,
the FDA acknowledges that the dye is a thyroid carcinogen. Several dyes have
been banned on the grounds of cancer – Red dyes No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4.
FD&C Red No. 3, however, is still widely-used in the US food industry
today.
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Img: Kron4 |
Peeps Oreos may be the nudge the FDA needs
to ban FD&C Red No. 3 from use in food products. People on social media
have said that the Easter Oreos changed the colour of their tongue and saliva
for at least 24 hours! Hearing that, one wonders just how many Oreos they ate
in one sitting.
Coloured mouths, saliva and even stool are
not grounds for condemnation. Some natural foods change the colour of excrement
including healthy produce. Kimberly Fontes, senior communications manager for
Mondelez International told BuzzFeed, “This is common with brightly colored
products such as ice pops, gelatins and drink mixes, as well as with certain
fruits and vegetables, including beets and cranberries.”
Jacqui Litvan
Jacqui
Litvan, wielding a bachelor's degree in English, strives to create a world of
fantasy amidst the ever-changing landscape of military life. Attempting to
become a writer, she fuels herself with coffee (working as a barista) and music
(spending free time as a raver).
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