Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Skittles are toxic, US lawsuit claims

Skittles are toxic, US lawsuit claims
Photo: iStock

Mars has been sued by a consumer who claims that Skittles candies are unfit to eat because they contain a known toxin that the company had pledged six years ago to phase out.

In a proposed class action filed on Thursday in the Oakland, California federal court, Jenile Thames accused Mars of endangering unsuspecting Skittles eaters by using "heightened levels" of titanium dioxide, or TiO2, as a food additive.


The lawsuit also said titanium dioxide will be banned in the European Union next month after a food safety regulator there deemed it unsafe because of "genotoxicity," or the ability to change DNA.

"A reasonable consumer would expect that [Skittles] can be safely purchased and consumed as marketed and sold," the complaint said. "However, the products are not safe."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for fraud and violations of California consumer protection laws.

Mars did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment.

The McLean, Virginia-based company, which is private, had pledged in February 2016 to remove artificial colors from its food products over the next five years.

In October 2016, it confirmed that titanium dioxide was among the colorants being removed, according to the nonprofit Center for Food Safety, citing an email from Mars.

According to the lawsuit, titanium dioxide is used in paint, adhesives, plastics and roofing materials, and can cause DNA, brain and organ damage, and well as lesions in the liver and kidneys.

Thames, of San Leandro, California, said he bought Skittles at a local QuikStop in April, and would not have done so had he known their contents.

He said checking the label would not have helped because the ingredients on Skittles' bright-red packages are hard to read.

More for you

Freight crime cost over £680 million

iStock image

Freight crime cost over £680 million

Freight-related crime cost the UK economy an estimated £680-700 million in 2023, when accounting for lost revenues, VAT, and insurance costs, revealed a recent report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Freight and Logistics.

The study, funded by the Road Haulage Association (RHA), documented 5,370 reported incidents of HGV and cargo crime across the UK last year, a 5 per cent increase on the previous year. Experts suggest that the actual figures could be significantly higher due to under-reporting. The direct value of stolen goods reached £68.3 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
 a glass jar of honey
Photo: iStock

British beekeepers urge retailers to stock local honey as imported products fail authenticity test

British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), which represents hobbyist beekeepers, has urged retailers to stock local honey, after a new research raised significant questions about the composition of blended honey samples imported to the UK and sold at supermarkets.

In a recent authenticity test, 96 per cent of samples of imported honey from supermarkets were found to be ‘atypical’ for honey, compared to 100 per cent of UK beekeeper samples that were deemed ‘typical’.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Illegal vapes

Illegal vapes seized in Swindon raids

Photo: Wiltshire Police

Five arrested after seizure of illegal vapes worth thousands of pounds in Swindon

Wiltshire Police have arrested five people and seized more than £55,000 worth of illicit vapes, tobacco and alcohol following a series of warrants in the Broadgreen area of Swindon.

In a joint operation HMRC and Trading Standards, officers executed four warrants in Manchester Road at three stores and a property on Tuesday as part of the force’s ongoing Clear Hold Build work within Broadgreen.

Keep ReadingShow less
Volumatic welcomes new FCA rules safeguarding access to cash

Volumatic welcomes new FCA rules safeguarding access to cash

As industry leaders is cash handling, Volumatic has long supported the use of cash and the importance of maintaining access to cash for both consumers and businesses. The company recognises the importance of the new set of rules created by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) two months ago, to safeguard access to cash for businesses and consumers across the UK.

Since introduction, the new rules are intended to ensure that individuals and businesses who rely on cash can continue to access it and the outcome has already sparked the creation of 15 new banking hubs across the UK, including one in Scotland, with many more to follow.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jisp unveils new NPD service

Jisp unveils new NPD service

Retail technology company Jisp has launched an NPD service as part of its new Direct to Retailer business unit.

The new NPD service will allow brands to launch or trial new products in a guaranteed number of convenience store locations, with on the ground review of execution by Jisp’s retail growth manager team, and performance data and insights deliverable through its scanning technology and back-office systems.

Keep ReadingShow less