Despite being somewhat lactose-intolerant, I have a weakness for the occasional Kraft blue-box of Macaroni & Cheese. It’s fast, it’s easy, and you can make it with soy milk even though it makes it taste a little funky. But I now hear that Europe has a better version of this American dish than we do in the States. The European version has no artificial colors or chemical sweeteners (aspartame, anyone?) because European food standards require a warning label for products that contain them.
The dangers of some of the ingredients in the US version were apparently covered in a book called The Unhealthy Truth. Now that the word’s out, MomsRising.org is encouraging people to e-mail their Congressional representatives to get the European version on US store shelves. No word on whether the eye-catching box will change as well: in Canada it’s called “Kraft Dinner.”
Of course one way to avoid the whole debacle is to make macaroni and cheese yourself from scratch. In my experience, it takes about an hour and a half with prep and baking time, but is so worth it. If you have the time, which many busy moms do not. And if your kids will eat it. And if you just happen to have 1 lb of sharp cheddar in your fridge. Now that I think of it, simply changing the US version is sounding better and better. If they can make a lactose-free version, I’m with them all the way.
