Iconic US snack set for major update to taste and look after pressure from RFK Jr
Slim Jims — the iconic spicy, dried meat stick— are set for a major recipe overhaul.
The company that makes them said it is removing all artificial dyes from its products by 2027 amid pressure from health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Chicago-based Conagra Brands said Birds Eye frozen vegetables, Orville Redenbacher popcorn and Duncan Hines baking products will also be affected by the change.
The coloring agents will likely be replaced with natural ingredients such turmeric or beet juice, which could change the look, change and texture of many iconic foods.
The announcement follows similar plans from brands like Nestle, Kraft Heinz and General Mills, many of whom have said they also won't launch any new products with artificial dyes.
Health officials have long called for the removal of dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 over concerns of hyperactivity and conditions like ADHD in children.
Some studies have also linked them to cancer in animals and hormonal issues.
Conagra said in its annoucement Wednesday it will remove all dyes from its frozen foods by the end of 2025 and stop selling products with artificial dyes in schools by the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
By the end of 2027, it will fully discontinue use of synthetic dyes from all of its products.
RFK Jr has outlined plans to strip eight petrolium-based dyes from the US food supply during his tenure as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Slim Jims don't specifically say on the packaging that they contain artificial dyes, though it's possible other additives like sodium nitrite could be removed.
The push comes amid concerns in recent years over health effects of artificial dyes, including animal studies suggesting they can cause hyperactivity, cancer and other health problems.
With a recipe change could also come differences in color, texture and taste, though it's unclear how subtle the shifts will be.
Conagra said many of its products already use natural alternatives like turmeric and annatto, especially in items like pickles, frozen vegetables and popcorn.
However, products like Duncan Hines frosting and Swiss Miss pudding still contain Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 1.
Tom McCough, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Conagra Brands, said in a statement: 'Conagra Brands is known for innovating delicious, on-trend foods, and our transition away from FD&C colors is just one aspect of our broader strategy to modernize our portfolio to align with consumer preferences.
'Our leading portfolio of frozen brands, including Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's and more, will be 100% free from FD&C colors by the end of 2025.'
Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in children.
The FDA has maintained that the approved dyes are safe and that 'the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.'
The agency currently allows 36 food color additives, including eight synthetic dyes.
However, it announced in January that Red 3 — used in candies, cakes and some medications — would be banned in food by 2027 because it caused cancer in laboratory rats.
Several states, including California and West Virginia, have passed laws restricting the use of artificial colors in foods.
FDA Commissioner Dr Marty Makary announced in April that the agency will phase out the use of eight artificial food dyes in America's food supply within the next two years.
The massive shakeup will free children from the 'toxic soup' that makes up much of America's food supply, Dr Makary said.
It's unclear if Conagra will reformulate the affected products or discontinue them entirely.
The company has also not announced plans to change the recipes globally.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Many forget the damage done by diseases like whooping cough, measles and rubella. Not these families
In the time before widespread vaccination, death often came early. Devastating infectious diseases ran rampant in America, killing millions of children and leaving others with lifelong health problems. These illnesses were the main reason why nearly one in five children in 1900 never made it to their fifth birthday. Over the next century, vaccines virtually wiped out long-feared scourges like polio and measles and drastically reduced the toll of many others. Today, however, some preventable, contagious diseases are making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy pushes immunization rates down. And well-established vaccines are facing suspicion even from public officials, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, running the federal health department. 'This concern, this hesitancy, these questions about vaccines are a consequence of the great success of the vaccines – because they eliminated the diseases,' said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 'If you're not familiar with the disease, you don't respect or even fear it. And therefore you don't value the vaccine.' Anti-vaccine activists even portray the shots as a threat, focusing on the rare risk of side effects while ignoring the far larger risks posed by the diseases themselves — and years of real-world data that experts say proves the vaccines are safe. Some Americans know the reality of these preventable diseases all too well. For them, news of measles outbreaks and rising whooping cough cases brings back terrible memories of lives forever changed – and a longing to spare others from similar pain. Getting rubella while pregnant shaped two lives With a mother's practiced, guiding hand, 80-year-old Janith Farnham helped steer her 60-year-old daughter's walker through a Sioux Falls art center. They stopped at a painting of a cow wearing a hat. Janith pointed to the hat, then to her daughter Jacque's Minnesota Twins cap. Jacque did the same. 'That's so funny!' Janith said, leaning in close to say the words in sign language too. Jacque was born with congenital rubella syndrome, which can cause a host of issues including hearing impairment, eye problems, heart defects and intellectual disabilities. There was no vaccine against rubella back then, and Janith contracted the viral illness very early in the pregnancy, when she had up to a 90% chance of giving birth to a baby with the syndrome. Janith recalled knowing 'things weren't right' almost immediately. The baby wouldn't respond to sounds or look at anything but lights. She didn't like to be held close. Her tiny heart sounded like it purred – evidence of a problem that required surgery at four months old. Janith did all she could to help Jacque thrive, sending her to the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and using skills she honed as a special education teacher. She and other parents of children with the syndrome shared insights in a support group. Meanwhile, the condition kept taking its toll. As a young adult, Jacque developed diabetes, glaucoma and autistic behaviors. Eventually, arthritis set in. Today, Jacque lives in an adult residential home a short drive from Janith's place. Above her bed is a net overflowing with stuffed animals. On a headboard shelf are photo books Janith created, filled with memories like birthday parties and trips to Mount Rushmore. Jacque's days typically begin with an insulin shot and breakfast before she heads off to a day program. She gets together with her mom four or five days a week. They often hang out at Janith's townhome, where Jacque has another bedroom decorated with her own artwork and quilts Janith sewed for her. Jacque loves playing with Janith's dog, watching sports on television and looking up things on her iPad. Janith marvels at Jacque's sense of humor, gratefulness, curiosity and affectionate nature despite all she's endured. Jacque is generous with kisses and often signs 'double I love yous' to family, friends and new people she meets. 'When you live through so much pain and so much difficulty and so much challenge, sometimes I think: Well, she doesn't know any different,' Janith said. Given what her family has been through, Janith believes younger people are being selfish if they choose not to get their children the MMR shot against measles, mumps and rubella. 'It's more than frustrating. I mean, I get angry inside,' she said. 'I know what can happen, and I just don't want anybody else to go through this.' Delaying the measles vaccine can be deadly More than half a century has passed, but Patricia Tobin still vividly recalls getting home from work, opening the car door and hearing her mother scream. Inside the house, her little sister Karen lay unconscious on the bathroom floor. It was 1970, and Karen was 6. She'd contracted measles shortly after Easter. While an early vaccine was available, it wasn't required for school in Miami where they lived. Karen's doctor discussed immunizing the first grader, but their mother didn't share his sense of urgency. 'It's not that she was against it," Tobin said. "She just thought there was time.' Then came a measles outbreak. Karen – who Tobin described as a 'very endearing, sweet child' who would walk around the house singing – quickly became very sick. The afternoon she collapsed in the bathroom, Tobin, then 19, called the ambulance. Karen never regained consciousness. 'She immediately went into a coma and she died of encephalitis,' said Tobin, who stayed at her bedside in the hospital. 'We never did get to speak to her again.' Today, all states require that children get certain vaccines to attend school. But a growing number of people are making use of exemptions allowed for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. Vanderbilt's Schaffner said fading memories of measles outbreaks were exacerbated by a fraudulent, retracted study claiming a link between the MMR shot and autism. The result? Most states are below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergartners — the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks. 'I'm very upset by how cavalier people are being about the measles,' Tobin said. 'I don't think that they realize how destructive this is.' Polio changed a life twice One of Lora Duguay's earliest memories is lying in a hospital isolation ward with her feverish, paralyzed body packed in ice. She was three years old. 'I could only see my parents through a glass window. They were crying and I was screaming my head off,' said Duguay, 68. 'They told my parents I would never walk or move again.' It was 1959 and Duguay, of Clearwater, Florida, had polio. It mostly preyed on children and was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S., experts say, causing some terrified parents to keep children inside and avoid crowds during epidemics. Given polio's visibility, the vaccine against it was widely and enthusiastically welcomed. But the early vaccine that Duguay got was only about 80% to 90% effective. Not enough people were vaccinated or protected yet to stop the virus from spreading. Duguay initially defied her doctors. After intensive treatment and physical therapy, she walked and even ran – albeit with a limp. She got married, raised a son and worked as a medical transcriptionist. But in her early 40s, she noticed she couldn't walk as far as she used to. A doctor confirmed she was in the early stages of post-polio syndrome, a neuromuscular disorder that worsens over time. One morning, she tried to stand up and couldn't move her left leg. After two weeks in a rehab facility, she started painting to stay busy. Eventually, she joined arts organizations and began showing and selling her work. Art "gives me a sense of purpose,' she said. These days, she can't hold up her arms long enough to create big oil paintings at an easel. So she pulls her wheelchair up to an electric desk to paint on smaller surfaces like stones and petrified wood. The disease that changed her life twice is no longer a problem in the U.S. So many children get the vaccine — which is far more effective than earlier versions — that it doesn't just protect individuals but it prevents occasional cases that arrive in the U.S. from spreading further. ' Herd immunity " keeps everyone safe by preventing outbreaks that can sicken the vulnerable. After whooping cough struck, 'she was gone' Every night, Katie Van Tornhout rubs a plaster cast of a tiny foot, a vestige of the daughter she lost to whooping cough at just 37 days old. Callie Grace was born on Christmas Eve 2009 after Van Tornhout and her husband tried five years for a baby. She was six weeks early but healthy. 'She loved to have her feet rubbed," said the 40-year-old Lakeville, Indiana mom. "She was this perfect baby.' When Callie turned a month old, she began to cough, prompting a visit to the doctor, who didn't suspect anything serious. By the following night, Callie was doing worse. They went back. In the waiting room, she became blue and limp in Van Tornhout's arms. The medical team whisked her away and beat lightly on her back. She took a deep breath and giggled. Though the giggle was reassuring, the Van Tornhouts went to the ER, where Callie's skin turned blue again. For a while, medical treatment helped. But at one point she started squirming, and medical staff frantically tried to save her. 'Within minutes,' Van Tornhout said, 'she was gone.' Van Tornhout recalled sitting with her husband and their lifeless baby for four hours, "just talking to her, thinking about what could have been.' Callie's viewing was held on her original due date – the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called to confirm she had pertussis, or whooping cough. She was too young for the Tdap vaccine against it and was exposed to someone who hadn't gotten their booster shot. Today, next to the cast of Callie's foot is an urn with her ashes and a glass curio cabinet filled with mementos like baby shoes. 'My kids to this day will still look up and say, 'Hey Callie, how are you?'' said Van Tornhout, who has four children and a stepson. 'She's part of all of us every day.' Van Tornhout now advocates for childhood immunization through the nonprofit Vaccinate Your Family. She also shares her story with people she meets, like a pregnant customer who came into the restaurant her family ran saying she didn't want to immunize her baby. She later returned with her vaccinated four-month-old. 'It's up to us as adults to protect our children – like, that's what a parent's job is,' Van Tornhout said. 'I watched my daughter die from something that was preventable … You don't want to walk in my shoes.' ____ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Takeaways from interviews with families forever changed by diseases that vaccines can prevent
In the time before widespread vaccination, devastating infectious diseases ran rampant in America, killing millions of children and leaving others with lifelong health problems. Over the next century, vaccines virtually wiped out long-feared scourges like polio and measles and drastically reduced the toll of many others. Today, however, some preventable, contagious diseases are making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy pushes immunization rates down. And well-established vaccines are facing suspicion even from public officials, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, running the federal health department. 'This concern, this hesitancy, these questions about vaccines are a consequence of the great success of the vaccines – because they eliminated the diseases,' said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 'If you're not familiar with the disease, you don't respect or even fear it. And therefore you don't value the vaccine.' Anti-vaccine activists even portray the shots as a threat, focusing on the rare risk of side effects while ignoring the far larger risks posed by the diseases themselves — and years of real-world data that experts say proves the vaccines are safe. Some Americans know the reality of vaccine-preventable diseases all too well. Here are takeaways from interviews with a few of them by The Associated Press. Getting a disease while pregnant can change two lives. Janith Farnham has helped shepherd her daughter Jacque through life for decades. Jacque, 60, was born with congenital rubella syndrome, which resulted in hearing, eye and heart problems at birth. There was no vaccine against rubella back then, and Janith contracted it in early pregnancy. Though Janith, 80, did all she could to help Jacque thrive, the condition took its toll. Jacque eventually developed diabetes, glaucoma, autistic behaviors and arthritis. Today, Jacque lives in an adult residential home and gets together with Janith four or five days a week. Janith marvels at Jacque's sense of humor and affectionate nature despite all she's endured. Jacque is generous with kisses and often signs 'double I love yous,' even to new people she meets. Given what her family has been through, Janith finds it 'more than frustrating' when people choose not to get children the MMR shot against measles, mumps and rubella. 'I know what can happen,' she said. 'I just don't want anybody else to go through this.' Delaying a vaccine can be deadly. More than half a century has passed, but Patricia Tobin still vividly recalls seeing her little sister Karen unconscious on the bathroom floor. It was 1970, Karen was 6, and she had measles. The vaccine against it wasn't required for school in Miami where they lived. Though Karen's doctor discussed immunizing the first grader, their mother didn't share his sense of urgency. 'It's not that she was against it,' Tobin said. 'She just thought there was time.' Then came a measles outbreak. After she collapsed in the bathroom, Karen never regained consciousness. She died of encephalitis. 'We never did get to speak to her again,' Tobin said. Today, all states require that children get certain vaccines to attend school. But a growing number of people are making use of exemptions. Vanderbilt's Schaffner said fading memories of measles outbreaks were exacerbated by a fraudulent, retracted study claiming a link between the MMR shot and autism. The result? Most states are below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergartners — the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks. Preventable diseases can have long-term effects. One of Lora Duguay's earliest memories is lying in a hospital isolation ward with her feverish, paralyzed body packed in ice. She was three years old. It was 1959 and Duguay, of Clearwater, Florida, had polio. It was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S., experts say, causing some terrified parents to keep children inside and avoid crowds during epidemics. Given polio's visibility, the vaccine against it was widely and enthusiastically welcomed. Given polio's visibility, the vaccine against it was widely and enthusiastically welcomed. But the early vaccine that Duguay got was only about 80% to 90% effective. Not enough people were vaccinated or protected yet to stop the virus from spreading. Though treatment helped her walk again, she eventually developed post-polio syndrome, a neuromuscular disorder that worsens over time. She now gets around in a wheelchair. The disease that changed her life twice is no longer a problem in the U.S. So many children get the vaccine — which is far more effective than earlier versions — that it doesn't just protect individuals but it prevents occasional cases that arrive in the U.S. from spreading further and protects the vulnerable. When people aren't vaccinated, the vulnerable remain at risk. Every night, Katie Van Tornhout rubs a plaster cast of a tiny foot, a vestige of the daughter she lost to whooping cough at just 37 days old. Callie Grace was born on Christmas Eve 2009. When she turned a month old, she began having symptoms of pertussis, or whooping cough. She was too young for the Tdap vaccine against it and was exposed to someone who hadn't gotten their booster shot. At the hospital, Van Tornhout recalled, the medical staff frantically tried to save her, but 'within minutes, she was gone.' Today, Callie remains part of her family's life, and Van Tornhout shares the story with others as she advocates for vaccination. 'It's up to us as adults to protect our children – like, that's what a parent's job is,' Van Tornhout said. 'I watched my daughter die from something that was preventable … You don't want to walk in my shoes.' ____ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
I tested supermarket chicken nuggets – the budget winner is joint with M&S and over HALF price compared to Birds Eye
FROZEN foods like chicken nuggets tend to get a bad rap. But this freezer staple can be incredibly helpful for busy weeknights and many offer up a decent serving of protein to hungry kids. 9 Emma Shafqat, of said: "Chicken nuggets often get a bad reputation, but they can be a convenient and reliable source of protein especially for fussy eaters. "Look for ones made with chicken breast as the first ingredient and aim for low salt and saturated fat per serving. "A short, recognisable ingredient list (foods your find in your kitchen cupboards) is a good sign. "Nuggets can be a quick source of protein when added to wraps or salads for a balanced meal. "Like any processed food, it's about the quality you choose and what you serve alongside it." But which nuggets to choose? LYNSEY HOPE investigates: M&S Breaded Chicken Nuggets (600g) £4.75, £7.91 per kg Cook from frozen: 20 minute s Lynsey says: "Impressive nuggets from M&S, which looked and tasted great. Chicken makes up 53 per cent of the total ingredients and it's all breast meat. Once cooked, it was tender, while the breadcrumbs were nice and crisp after the recommended 20 minutes in the oven. "The ingredients list garlic, herb and sage which were subtle but gave these nuggets a tasty flavour. "The bag is mega expensive, setting you back £7.91 per kg which was even more than Birds Eye. But as they tasted great, I've still given them a reasonable score on value for money. "If you can afford to spend a bit more on nuggets, I'd recommend these ones." Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5 Total: 9/10 Birds Eye Chicken Dippers (697g) £5.50 for 38, £7.80 per kg Cook from frozen: 15 minutes 9 Lynsey says: "The branded nuggets have a very distinctive taste and that is down to the batter I think, which is lightly fried. "Overall chicken make up 50 per cent of the ingredients and again, it's all breast meat. They are pricey but quite moreish and well-filled with meat. "One of the quickest to cook in the oven, taking just 15 minutes. They were quite similar to McDonald's nuggets in flavour and texture. "The biggest problem is the price, they cost nearly double most own brands per kilogram and the difference is minimal." Taste: 4/5 Value: 2/5 Total: 6/10 Sainsbury's Breaded Chicken Nuggets (450g) £1.49 for 30, £3.31 per kg Cook from frozen: 15 minutes Lynsey says: "Very meaty nuggets with British chicken making up 60 per cent of the ingredients - it's not necessarily breast meat though. The ingredients were simple, which I liked, with less rubbish in than other own brands. "They cooked well in the recommended 15 minutes and the breaded coating came out an appetising colour and had a lovely crunch. "The nuggets were small but excellent value too, on a par with Aldi when it comes to price per kilogram." Taste: 3/5 Value: 5/5 Total: 8/10 Asda Battered Chicken Nuggets (670g) £3, £4.48 per kg Cook from frozen: 18 minutes Lynsey says: "Asda's nuggets are made with 100 per cent breast meat and chicken makes up 58 per cent of the ingredients so a decent proportion. "They took a while to cook, probably closer to 20 minutes than the recommended 18. But once cooked, the batter was nice - they were very similar to McDonald's nuggets with quite a salty taste. "I also thought that there was quite a lot of air in the batter and they could have done with a bit more meat to fill them out." Taste: 4/5 Value: 3/5 Total: 7/10 Aldi Roosters Chicken Nuggets in Breadcrumbs (450g) £1.49 for 30, £3.31 per kg Cook from frozen: 16-18 minutes 9 Lynsey says: "Excellent value nuggets from Aldi and a decent sized bag. They are one of the meatiest with 60 per cent chicken in the ingredients and it's breast meat too. "Filling - though the flavour was a little bland, perhaps they need a little more seasoning in the meat." Taste: 3/5 Value: 4/5 Total: 7/10 Morrisons Battered Chicken Dippers (450g) £2.30 for 25, £5.11 per kg Cook from frozen: 16-18 minutes 9 Lynsey says: "Apparently these contain chicken breast but it was a strange texture and a grey mushy colour which was a bit off putting. "The batter was light and cooked well but it fell off the meat when I was trying to serve them and it all got a bit messy. "Over priced too. At £5.11 per kilogram they were more expensive than every other own brand, bar M&S. There wasn't 25 in the bag either - only 24." Taste: 2/5 Value: 2/5 Total: 4/10 Lidl Braemoor Red Hen Breaded Chicken Nuggets (1kg) £3.25 for 65, £3.25 per kg Cook from frozen: 14 minutes 9 Lynsey says: " Lidl 's nuggets were great value and this was a supersized family bag which is great for the freezer. The meat is 100 per cent chicken breast, though it's from Poland and not UK. "They were well-seasoned, filling and flavoursome. This bag is over £2 cheaper than Bird's Eye and you get 27 extra nuggets for your money." Taste: 4/5 Value: 5/5 Total: 9/10 Tesco Battered Chicken Dippers (450g) £1.49 for 20, £3.31 per kg Cook from frozen: 17 minutes Lynsey says: "These had an usual chemically taste and I wasn't a fan. The meat was very bitty too and I couldn't finish my portion, chucking three out of five in the bin. "They do contain 53 per cent chicken in the ingredients but it's not breast. "There weren't 20 in the bag either- I only got 18. Whilst they are good value, I wouldn't buy these again."
