Lawsuit Brought Against Skittles For Being "Unsafe" And Containing A "Known Toxin" That's Banned Throughout Europe
The nostalgic candy of your childhood is under fire for containing a toxic ingredient that shouldn't be ingested. A lawsuit has been brought against Skittles that's raising eyebrows about the ingredients in this popular treat.
Mars candy Skittles has been around for as long as we can remember, but there's a lot of concern being raised about its quality. A lawsuit seeking class-action status has been filed against the popular candy company.
Lawsuit Brought Against Skittles for Being "Unsafe" and Containing a "Known Toxin"
A "known toxin" called titanium dioxide is used in Skittles in order to produce the various colors that attract so many kids' eyes. But on Thursday in California, a lawsuit was filed against Mars; consumer Jenile Thames insists that Skittles is unsafe for consumption due to the "heightened levels" of titanium dioxide. Titanium dioxide is said to cause genotoxicity, which is when chemicals can alter and damage genetic information in the body, resulting in harm or illness.
Six years ago, Skittles announced that they planned to remove this ingredient from the production of their candy, but to this day titanium dioxide is still being used in Skittles. The European Food Safety Authority announced in 2021 that titanium dioxide is toxic and "can no longer be considered safe as a food additive." The U.S. hasn't made any such claims about the toxin. Thames and her attorney criticize the fact that Mars has never warned consumers that an ingredient in Skittles can produce health risks.
"Based on Defendant’s omissions, a reasonable consumer would expect that the Product can be safely purchased and consumed as marketed and sold," the complaint reads. "However, the Products are not safe and pose a significant health risk to unsuspecting consumers. Yet, neither before nor at the time of purchase does Defendant notify consumers like (Thames) that the Products are unsafe to consumers, contain heightened levels of titanium dioxide, and should otherwise be approached with caution."
Thames seeks damages for alleged fraud and multiple other violations under California consumer protection laws. "While we do not comment on pending litigation, our use of titanium dioxide complies with FDA regulations," Mars responded in a statement.