How Scared Should I Be of Macaroni and Cheese?

Asking for a Friend,

Being a first-time father to a 1.5-year-old child means addressing unexpected questions from the first-time grandparents of a 1.5-year-old child. My father sent my wife and me a somewhat guilty-sounding email about the latest New York Times scare piece on the topic of mac and cheese, a foodstuff he presents to my son when he visits their home each week ... I would love your take.

Jacob

I’m glad you asked. A few other people were curious about this, too. Actually more than a few others. Since that Times story came out earlier this month, most of my time has been spent asking and answering questions about either John McCain or powdered cheese.

Which is fine, that’s the idea of a column like this. Though the stakes feel different here. People are less curious than genuinely, eyelid-spasming scared. The terror-intro of the July article: “Potentially harmful chemicals that were banned from children’s teething rings and rubber duck toys a decade ago may still be present in high concentrations in your child’s favorite meal: macaroni and cheese mixes made with powdered cheese.”

All of these words are true. Except—except—for the word . Arguably the most important word. The words are also misleading, and potentially more dangerous