Can This Popular Candy Sold in Illinois Really Cause Cancer?

Easter is just around the corner, and once again, safety concerns about Peeps candy are mounting. Do they really contain ingredients that cause cancer?

Peeps For All Seasons

As a young kid I remember only getting Peeps and jelly beans in my Easter basket each year, but as a parent with young kids I now know Peeps aren't just for Easter anymore.

There are Halloween Peeps, Christmas Peeps, Peeps of all flavors and colors...my point here is this; we get a lot of Peeps in our house, and I often wonder if I should continue to let my kids eat them.

Do Peeps Contain Cancer-Causing Ingredients?

We often hear about the danger of Red Dye 3 being used in many foods we eat and products we put on our bodies. Red Dye 3 is a known carcinogen that CAN cause cancer in animals, but what I find even more concerning is that more than 2,900 food products on the market today contain Red Dye 3!

So, why do Marshmallow Peeps take a majority of the brunt when it comes to foods containing Red Dye 3?

Is Eating Peeps Dangerous for Our Health?

Here's the deal; any pink, purple, or red Peeps you see in stores DO contain Red Dye 3. So do the Party Cake Peeps, Peeps Fruit Punch Marshmallow Chicks, Peeps Wildberry Marshmallow Bunnies, and many other artificially flavored and colored candies according to Consumer Reports.

Now before you start panicking about all the Red Dye 3 you have consumed in your life, here is what Just Born, the company that produces Peeps, said in a statement last April;

FD&C Red #3 is currently an approved colorant for use in candy by the FDA. We manufacture all our candies in compliance with FDA regulations, sourcing our ingredients and packaging exclusively from reputable suppliers who adhere to high quality and safety standards,” Just Born said in a statement.

Will the Use of Red Dye 3 in Foods Ever Be Outlawed?

Many organizations and politicians have been calling upon the FDA to outlaw the use of Red Dye 3 in foods for several years now, especially since it has been banned for use in cosmetics since 1990 and that is it used in many foods geared towards children. Will it ever happen though? We'll have to wait and see.

I guess we'll just stick to eating yellow Peeps only in our house from now on. (those are still safe, right?!?)

(Here's a list of common foods containing Red Dye 3)

."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":33554688,"11":4,"28":1}">