New consumer report finds “concerning levels of additives” in popular snacks

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Some of the snacks finding their way into American pantries contain “concerning levels of additives,” according to new findings by Consumer Reports and the food-scanning app Yuka.

Researchers tested 40 popular grocery products, from baked goods to ice cream and potato chips, measuring concentrations of eight additives and two contaminants and comparing them to safety thresholds for daily consumption set by European and California health officials. 

None of the products tested exceeded current guidelines set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which routinely permits substances at levels “far higher than what other public health authorities consider safe,” according to Consumer Reports.

Of the 13 products tested for Red Dye No. 40, a petroleum-derived synthetic food coloring, five contained enough in a single serving to exceed the daily safety level for children identified by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).

Considered more stringent than the FDA when it comes to assessing the risk of food dyes and additives, a 2021 OEHHA assessment found that synthetic food dyes are associated with “adverse neurobehavioral outcomes” in some children.

The researchers cited several products that exceeded safety thresholds by sizable margins, including Hostess’ Donettes Mini Powdered Donuts, which were found to contain 19 times the amount of titanium dioxide considered safe for daily consumption according to California health officials. A serving of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies contained over nine times the safety threshold for the same chemical, according to the findings.

Titanium dioxide was banned as a food additive in the European Union in 2022, due to the possibility of “DNA or chromosomal damage”  

“The levels identified in Hostess’ Donettes are especially troubling given how widely consumed this product is in the United States, particularly among children,” the report stated.

The JM Smucker Co., which makes Hostess products, did not respond to a request for comment on these findings. McKee Foods Corporation, which manufactures Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, declined to comment.

A “fair point”

The findings drew some criticism because the analysis was done based on daily consumption over a lifetime.

“That was probably my biggest criticism of their assessment,” said Eric Decker, professor of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Measuring “a lifetime of chronic exposure,” can result in over-estimates, Decker explained, noting that some foods that were highlighted by the study can be considered “celebratory” foods that shouldn’t be consumed all of the time.

“That’s an absolutely fair point,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. He added that while people might not be consuming the particular products assessed on a daily basis, they may be getting exposed to Red Dye No. 40 and titanium dioxide through other foods in their diets. 

“These types of chemicals, additives, and synthetic food dyes are pervasive in our food supply,” Ronholm said. “If you’re consuming these synthetic food dyes, these chemicals and additives on a consistent basis through a variety of products, that certainly increases the risk of public health harm down the road.”

According to the report, the findings underscore the shortcomings of the current regulatory framework governing food additives in the US.

Decker agreed that the FDA could be doing more in terms of safety assessment, noting that the agency is grossly understaffed.

“The Trump administration on one side is saying that these are bad for you, and that we should reassess these, but at the same time they’re cutting positions at the FDA all the time,” Decker noted.

A nationwide push

The report comes amid a nation-wide push against food additives from the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, which opposes ultra-processed foods, artificial dyes, and other chemicals in foods as harmful to human health.

Last year, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and the FDA announced plans to phase out petroleum-based food dyes. At the time, former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stated that, “for the last 50 years, we have been running one of the largest uncontrolled scientific experiments in the world on our nation’s children, without their consent.”

In 2025, West Virginia’s banned a group of red, yellow, blue and green dyes from food starting January 1, 2028. And California last year passed a law phasing out certain ultra-processed foods from school meals.

“We’re now in a time where we’re having those types of conversations where before we weren’t,” said Ronholm.

Featured image: Towfiqu barbhuiya for Unsplash+