A Lawsuit Alleges Skittles Are 'Unfit For Human Consumption'

No! Not Skittles! Say it isn’t so.

A lawsuit, filed in Northern California, says that Skittles are “unfit for human consumption.”

They allegedly use a toxic chemical in their production, and they have been using it for years.

According to The Guardian, Mars Inc. — the maker of Skittles — has been using titanium dioxide to make that tasty rainbow.

The lawsuit states that people who eat Skittles “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.”

Apparently, back in 2016, Mars Inc. publicly stated that they would phase out the use of titanium dioxide, because they knew that it was a dangerous chemical.

But, that didn’t happen.

Then in 2019, France banned titanium dioxide. Lest Skittles not be allowed in France, Mars said it would stop using the banned chemical.

This may have happened in France, but Mars Inc. still sells Skittles containing titanium dioxide in the U.S.

Jenile Thames, who filed the lawsuit against the makers of Skittles, is claiming that they are “failing to inform consumers of the implications of consuming the toxin.”

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 — in a manner in which consumers would normally view the product in the store.
Court Documents

Now, Mars Inc. isn’t the only company ever to use titanium dioxide as an additive to their food. It is pretty commonly used in candy or baking.

Want to freak out just a little bit?

Titanium dioxide has been used for a century in a range of industrial and consumer products, including paints, coatings, adhesives, paper, plastics and rubber, printing inks, coated fabrics and textiles, as well as ceramics, floor coverings, roofing materials, cosmetics, toothpaste, soap, water treatment agents, pharmaceuticals, food colorants, automotive products, [and] sunscreen.
ChemicalSafetyFacts.org