Popular Easter candy sold in NJ contains cancer-causing ingredient

It's always a great time when the Easter Bunny pays New Jersey a visit. From Easter egg hunts to family gatherings, there's so much to like about the holiday.

Even better is when Easter Sunday lines up with nicer weather. And for the Easter of 2024, happening March 31, the outlook doesn't look all that bad.

• GET THE LATEST WEATHER ANALYSIS FROM CHIEF METEOROLOGIST DAN ZARROW HERE

Now with that said, there is one popular candy primarily associated with Easter that you should be aware of. A candy that contains a chemical that's known to cause cancer in animals.

In fact, that cancer scare went beyond pets at one point in the past. It all has to do with the color red.

Why Red?

Some red dyes seem to be problematic in candy. Back in the 1970s, there was a study that showed Red Dye #2 caused cancer in female rats.

It caused such a scare that M&M's completely dropped their red M&M just so it would calm their consumers' fears. This, despite the fact that M&M's didn't use that particular red dye in the first place.

Interestingly, by dropping the red M&M from its lineup, the orange M&M was introduced as its replacement. Then when red was eventually added back, they let orange be and both colors have been part of the mix ever since.

ALSO CHECK OUT: History of the M&M: How each amazing color came to be

Scare Today

Although the days of the 1970s Red Dye #2 scare are behind us, we now have another scare that involves not only Easter candy but other food products as well.

Red Dye #3 is now a concern, and it's been known to cause cancer in animals. It's a very similar situation to the scare in the 1970s, and the varieties of one particular Easter candy are affected.

CHECK IT OUT: History of the M&M: How each amazing color came to be

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.