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(CNN) -- When SpongeBob SquarePants skips onto shelves in boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese next year, he may be a little less, well, yellow than your kids are used to.

Kraft has revamped its character-shaped product line for 2014, according to company spokeswoman Lynne Galia. The new versions will have six additional grams of whole grains, be lower in sodium and saturated fat, and will use spices instead of artificial food dyes to recreate the pasta's famous yellow-orange color.

"Parents have told us that they would like fun Mac & Cheese varieties with the same great taste, but with improved nutrition," Galia said in an e-mail.

The company will remove Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 from boxes containing pasta shaped like SpongeBob SquarePants and those with Halloween and winter shapes. Two new shapes of the popular pasta -- Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" from Dreamworks -- will also be free of food coloring, Galia said.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest hailed Kraft's decision on Friday. Michael Jacobson, the center's executive director, said he is pleased with the announcement but is "puzzled" as to why Kraft would not change its iconic elbow-shaped macaroni product as well.

"As Kraft has today shown, it is clearly possible to make macaroni and cheese without these harmful chemicals," Jacobson said in a statement.

Yellow No. 5 has been linked to hyperactivity, asthma, some skin conditions and cancer, but larger scientific studies have proved inconclusive.

The Food and Drug Administration must approve color additives in the United States; Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 were approved for use in foods in 1969 and 1986, respectively.

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I'm all for healthier food and all but..  I grew up with Mac and Cheese as a kid, not that smushy Cheez-Whiz-like stuff but the good old nasty powdered "cheese". The new stuff just isn't the same, actually liked that powdered stuff better. It isn't real Mac and Cheese if it doesn't stain your teeth bright yellow.

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I never really liked "The Cheesiest" and it really hasn't gotten any better.  The texture of the noodles and it turns mush before can even finish it.  Much prefer Three Cheese, Cheesy Alfredo or shapes.

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You do realize that the vast majority of cheddar cheeses are made yellow/orange by dying them?

Cheddar cheeses are naturally off-white unless the cows are pasture fed, in which the absorb beta carotene (yellow) from the plants they eat and their milk turns a pale yellow. Making this milk into cheese concentrates the color. These pasture fed cheeses fetched a premium price.

To get the deep yellow-orange color most people are used to cheesemakers long ago started adding pulverized annatto tree seeds to white curds from hay fed cows cheese look like pasture fed cheddar. pure marketing. Later synthetic dyes were used.

When I make a batch it's almost always a white cheddar, and I prefer a good 3-5 year old unmodded "farmers cheddar" because it's pure and sharp enough to bite back. Great for mac & cheese (y)

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I guess thats for my comment?

When I have the time, yeah I'd prefer to not have it come out of a box. Shredded cheddarjack off the block on pasta shells then baked. Only salt I use is in the water for the pasta (tsp/tbs) depending on the amount of pasta. Other than that I save salt for my tequila & limes (makes the trifecta) :punk:

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I've never understood why we needed to color our food so much. Most of our food would be much less exciting looking without food coloring, but who cares? This is all good news I think. I'm a huge mac and cheese fan. I'm the kid who threw a fit in McDonalds when I was younger because they didn't serve mac and cheese, hahaha.

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I agree about mac & cheese - well made it's a Food of the Gods as far as I'm concerned, though because of my diabetes I can't have it as often as I'd like. Dammit.

The color of attractive foods is wired into our brains. Color is often a sign of a nutritious or beneficial food so we're attracted to it.Yellow/orange/red indicates beta carotene, an essential nutriant, so those foods are really on our radar. Yellowing cheese is smart marketing because of that natural attraction.

On the other hand, few foods are blue and so blue isn't particularly attractive to many people save for certain berries. This blue aversion is so strong that using a blue plate can reduce food consumption. Likewise, putting a blue light bulb in the fridge can cut the size & frequency of midnight snack consumption.

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^ Why not? Do you guys put sugar in it or something? O.o

 

Mac & Cheese should be made only one way, with actual REAL cheddar cheese sauce, made from scratch.. Personally, I also add some nice smoked pancetta, chopped and fried in a little rape seed oil and then served with some grated red leicester cheese on top and grilled till it bubbles.

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It's not a high blood pressure issue for me, in fact mine is disgustingly normal at 140/70 AFTER a workout and about 95-105/60 resting.

The problem with mac & cheese for diabetics is the high carbohydrate count. Carbs spike blood glucose. 1 cup can have 60 grams, about 1/4 the daily recommended intake in one shot.

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^ Why not? Do you guys put sugar in it or something? O.o

 

Mac & Cheese should be made only one way, with actual REAL cheddar cheese sauce, made from scratch.. Personally, I also add some nice smoked pancetta, chopped and fried in a little rape seed oil and then served with some grated red leicester cheese on top and grilled till it bubbles.

 

Damn.  :rofl:

 

I too make my own homemade M&C. Even the simplest, quickest style beats the bought stuff by a mile.

 

Good. Real cheese isn't meant to be neon orange anyway. I always thought that was strange.

 

Too true. When I see cheese in TV or movies I always wonder why the fugg it is so orange. I don't think I have ever seen orange cheese here in Oz before.

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You do realize that the vast majority of cheddar cheeses are made yellow/orange by dying them?

Cheddar cheeses are naturally off-white unless the cows are pasture fed, in which the absorb beta carotene (yellow) from the plants they eat and their milk turns a pale yellow. Making this milk into cheese concentrates the color. These pasture fed cheeses fetched a premium price.

To get the deep yellow-orange color most people are used to cheesemakers long ago started adding pulverized annatto tree seeds to white curds from hay fed cows cheese look like pasture fed cheddar. pure marketing. Later synthetic dyes were used.

When I make a batch it's almost always a white cheddar, and I prefer a good 3-5 year old unmodded "farmers cheddar" because it's pure and sharp enough to bite back. Great for mac & cheese (Y)

Yeah extra sharp cheddar is best for making mac and cheese.

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I too make my own homemade M&C. Even the simplest, quickest style beats the bought stuff by a mile.

 

Me too. My wife says it's the best she's ever ate. I would never eat any box M&C.

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I think we may need a mac and cheese recipes thread, hahaha. I love how many different ways you can make it. Never the same way twice.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

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They will be using annatto extract which is a natural dye. It is actually worse for you then the artificial stuff. causing head banging in little kids  . I causes severe migraines in people and ibs symptoms in others.

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I think we may need a mac and cheese recipes thread, hahaha. I love how many different ways you can make it. Never the same way twice.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Try also taking some good quality nachos, roughly crushing them, and sprinkling on top. ;)

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There's a huge problem with kids growing up on what is not natural and I believe it skews their perception of what good food is and what they should like. What kids like is learned. The appreciation for good flavor and cooking sense starts with making and eating good food. I will eat Mac and Cheese every once in a while but I do not like how prominent it is in our culture.

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