SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Skittles continue to be sold with a dangerous chemical known as TiO2, a class action lawsuit says.
Plaintiff Jenile Thames filed suit July 14 in California federal court through attorneys at Bursor & Fisher. They say Mars Inc.’s promise to phase out titanium dioxide, a known toxin used for artificial color, hasn’t been fulfilled.
The suit cites a February 2016 press release from the company.
“But Defendant has flouted its own promise to consumers,” the suit says. “More than six years later, Defendant continues to sell the products with TiO2, unbeknownst to reasonable consumers who purchase the products.
“In doing so, Defendant concealed from consumers material information it knew. Namely, that numerous of its competitors and other food manufacturers had long removed the toxin from their product lines because of scientific research showing that the toxin is unsafe for consumption.”
The suit says it was banned in France in 2019. The chemical remains listed on the ingredient list “which is provided in miniscule 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.”
The complaint includes a photo of the package, with black letters on a red background.