CHARLOTTE — From chips and snack cakes to drink mixes and pudding, many popular processed foods contain additives used to enhance color, sweetness, texture, or shelf life. But shoppers usually can’t tell from the label exactly how much of those additives are in each serving.
A new Consumer Reports investigation found concerning levels of certain additives and contaminants in some widely sold foods and drinks.
Consumer Reports partnered with Yuka, a product transparency app, to test 40 popular processed foods and drinks for food additives and contaminants linked to potential health concerns at certain exposure levels.
CR investigative reporter Paris Martineau says companies in the U.S. are not required to disclose the amount of a specific additive or contaminant in their products. That matters because with some substances, the dose can make a difference—especially when people eat the same foods repeatedly.
Consumer Reports found that one-quarter of the products tested contained concerning amounts of additives. When contaminants were added to the analysis, that rose to more than one-third of the products tested.
Consumer Reports contacted the FDA about its findings. The agency declined to comment on the specific results of the investigation but said it has launched a stronger post-market review process for chemicals and additives already on the market.
CR also contacted the makers of the flagged products. Some companies said their products meet U.S. regulatory standards. Others said they are working to remove certain artificial colors or titanium dioxide from some products.
For shoppers, Consumer Reports recommends reading ingredient labels carefully, especially on brightly colored or highly processed foods. CR also suggests limiting how often you eat products flagged as concerning and paying closer attention to the foods you buy regularly.
Click here to check the results for all 40 foods and drinks Consumer Reports tested.
You can also view CR’s test methodology and results here.
Before publication, CR contacted the manufacturers of all the flagged products to share its findings and methodology. Five responded, including McKee Foods, maker of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, which declined to comment. Kraft Heinz, Ocean Spray, Amos and Smithfield Foods spokespeople said the amount of additive in their products meets U.S. regulatory standards.
“Representatives for Kraft Heinz, Ocean Spray, and Amos also said that the companies are working to remove artificial colors from their products in response to changing consumer expectations,” CR wrote. “Ocean Spray plans to relaunch its Diet Cran-Grape Juice, and the other products in its diet beverage line, ‘with a new formula using only natural colors’ in early 2027, said spokesperson Kate Leonard. Similarly, an Amos spokesperson said the company expects to transition away from using titanium dioxide in its Peelerz products by the end 2026. Kraft Heinz plans to remove Red 40 (and six other synthetic dyes) from its U.S. portfolio by the end of 2027, said spokesperson Chelsea Slaggert, who also requested we remove the company’s Kool-Aid and Jell-O Zero products from this story after reviewing our findings. “The implication that these products present a safety concern is not supported by scientific or regulatory evidence,” said Slaggert.
In a statement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press secretary Emily Hilliard said the new reassessment program will help “to ensure the Agency’s limited resources are focused on the most significant public health risks” and “that chemicals in the U.S. food supply continue to meet safety standards as scientific knowledge evolves.” Hilliard and other FDA spokespeople declined to comment on our specific findings and did not respond to a detailed list of questions about the agency’s regulation of food additives.”
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