CONSUMER ALERT: Cancer-causing dye in Valentine’s candy

[Consumer Reports]   Friend, Before you send the kids or grandkids off this Valentine’s Day with a box of those iconic pastel candy hearts – ‘Be Mine,’ ‘Cutie Pie,’ ‘I’m Yours’ – know this: these Sweethearts candies contain Red Dye No. 3, a known carcinogen. Consumer Reports has asked the biggest manufacturer of these candies to commit to removing Red Dye 3 from their products, since the dye has been banned in cosmetics by the FDA for more than 30 years because of the cancer risk. But the candy company has refused to even return our calls. Let’s give the maker of Sweethearts candy some love of our own! [Join us in sending a special Valentine directly to the Spangler Candy Company to remove this cancer-causing additive now!]( [Send a Special Valentine]( Since the early 1980s, the FDA had evidence that Red Dye No. 3 caused cancer in laboratory animals, prompting the agency in 1990 to ban the dye in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. At that time, the agency said it would take steps to ban its use in foods, but the FDA never acted. Consumer Reports and other safety organizations are pushing the FDA hard to ban the dye in food and any other products that can be ingested, but food companies shouldn't wait for federal action to do the right thing. Since Sweethearts is the No. 1 selling non-chocolate Valentine’s Day candy – particularly targeting children – we’ve issued a Consumer Alert, and are going directly to the manufacturer to demand it stop using this cancer-causing additive. This type of dye isn’t necessary to make candy hearts, since other, less risky alternatives are available. But since the maker of Sweethearts is ignoring us, It’s going to take consumers speaking out together and demanding the company do better by its customers! [Will you help us ramp up the pressure, Friend, by sending a message into the company to remove Red Dye No. 3 from its products?]( [Send a Special Valentine]( Much like our findings of risky heavy metal contamination in dark chocolate bars, this is important consumer news, especially on Valentine’s Day. Please take action, then share this email with friends and family, especially those with children who give and get these candy hearts. Thank you, Meg Bohne Consumer Reports [Unsubscribe from Consumer Reports action alerts.]( © 2022 Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY, 10703 [Contact Consumer Reports](