A new lawsuit filed against Skittles claims the chewy candy is ‘unfit for human condition’ due to the fact that they contain titanium dioxide. The suit, filed by Jenile Thames on July 14 in California, claims that people who eat Skittles are “are at heightened risk of a host of health effects for which they were unaware stemming from genotoxicity – the ability of a chemical substance to change DNA.”
- Titanium dioxide was supposed to be phased out. According to the lawsuit, the company vowed to phase the substance out of Skittles back in 2016 but Jenile says that’s only because “consumers today are calling on food manufacturers to use more natural ingredients in their products.”
- Skittles claims its ingredients “pose no known risks to human health or safety.” However, Jenile says that’s a lie and that stating otherwise means that “Defendant [Mars] concealed from consumers material information it knew.” The lawsuit further accuses Mars Inc. of “failing to inform consumers of the implications of consuming the toxin.”
- The company’s use of packaging is also an issue to Jenile. The lawsuit states: “Instead, Defendant relies on the ingredient list which is provided in minuscule print on the back of the Products, the reading of which is made even more challenging by the lack of contrast in color between the font and packaging, as set out below in a manner in which consumers would normally view the product in the store.”
- So what happens if you ingest titanium dioxide? Research suggests that human bodies can’t break it down, which can lead to DNA changes, inflammation, and cell necrosis. The EU is planning the ban the ingredient for those reasons in August 2022.
