What gives Bubblegum Flavor Glee Gum its rosy pink glow? Red beets. What gives Kraft Mac & Cheese its neon orange shine? Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.

While we generally believe in different strokes for different folks, we think artificial coloring is an exception. And the more we read about the issue, the more concerned we feel. From contamination with known carcinogens to correlations to behavioral disorders, the downsides of fake food dyes keep adding up.

So, when our friends at the Feingold Association shared a recent Dr. Oz Show segment about food dyes with us, we wanted to pass it along to you. It features Vani Hari and Lisa Leake, two North Carolina food activists with a powerful petition out now. They’re asking Kraft to remove artificial food coloring from their line of macaroni and cheese, and to head the charge in providing safer, better quality products for consumers.

Over 250,000 have signed the petition already. Visit Change.org/kraftyellow to add your name to the list, and feel free to join us in spreading the word! In the meantime, you can read more about recent studies on food dyes on the Dr. Oz Show site.

We’re proud to announce that all flavors of Glee Gum are now certified kosher! Look for the seal of certification from the International Kosher Council to appear on our boxes starting this spring.

Kosher foods comply with traditional Jewish dietary laws for preparation and processing. While many consumers keep kosher diets for religious reasons, an even larger number choose kosher foods because of their high standards of quality and food safety. We hope this certification helps you all to chew kosher gum Gleefully.

For info on our other certifications, check out our Affiliations page.

Wanna save cents in a way that makes sense?

CommonKindess offers coupons to buy 2 boxes of Glee, get the 3rd for free. And take $0.50 off Sugar-Free Glee.

Even better, whenever you redeem a CommonKindness coupon, the company donates to the non-profit of your choice—at no cost to you. Sign-up is free, and they’ve got scores of other printable grocery coupons available.

Happy shopping– and saving!

Baby, it’s cold out there. But these upcoming events will warm ya right up! Best of all? You can expect to see Glee Gum at every one of ‘em.

First, rock out at the 2^nd annual “Icelantic’s Winter on the Rocks” concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO on February 1^st, 2013. We’ve heard that sweet tunes sound even sweeter at high altitudes!

Students, be sure to take the “12^th Annual RecycleMania Challenge” at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD on February 8^th, 2013. It runs for eight exciting weeks!

Then, support Figure Skating in Harlem– and have fun doing it– with the 16^th annual Gwendolyn Simmons “Soul on Ice Winter Skating Party” at Lasker Ice Rink in New York, NY on February 9^th, 2013.

Next… calling all lovebirds! Celebrate Valentine’s Day by enjoying “Sweets for Your Sweetie” on February 14^th, and then plan an “Escape to the Tropics” on March 3^rd, 2013, at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Indianapolis, IN.

Last but not least, if you race in the “ShamROCK Run” at Newnan Court Square in Newnan, GA on March 2^nd, 2013, you’ll help raise money for Bridging the Gap Community Outreach. Bonus: you’ll also get in shape for spring!

Tis the Season to Get to Know the Snow (on a First Name Basis)

From our home base in Providence, to all of you,

Thanks so much for choosing Glee as the gum to chew!

We appreciate your continued support of our gum,

And wish you health and happiness in the year to come.

Holiday Cheer at the End of the Year!

Chew more.

Seriously, experts say it’s good for you!

Happy New Year, chums. Thanks for all your support of Glee Gum!

Feeling lucky?

Check out the free, random drawing on our Facebook page for a chance to win 3 fabulous, Fair Trade prizes.

On November 30th, 2012 at 12 pm ET, 2 winners will be chosen to each take home:

- Fair Trade: A Human Journey by Eric St-Pierre. In 350 captivating photographs, this book takes you to the four corners of the planet & right into the lives of the women and men – artisans, peasants, workers – who produce various commodities that are part of our daily lives. 

- 1 Make Your Own Chocolate Kit. Learn how to make dark chocolate like a confectioner, right in your kitchen. This sweet activity kit contains everything you need, including Fair Trade cocoa butter & cocoa powder.

- 1 Case of Glee Gum (12 boxes). Pick the flavor of your choice & enjoy the world’s first & only Fair Trade chewing gum, naturally sweetened with Fair Trade cane sugar. Aspartame-free & GMO-free, too!

Read the full details here. In the meantime, we’ve got our fingers crossed for you!

As you probably know, Prop 37— the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act— didn’t pass this month. We still believe that we have a right to know if our food contains GMOs. And, based on the votes cast in Cali, so do at least 4 million other Americans!

“Because of the prevalence of soy, corn, and sugar in processed foods, more than 30,000 GMO food products sit on US grocery shelves unlabeled,” Alisa Gravitz, the president of Green America, recently noted. “GMO food products have not been independently tested by the FDA, and have been linked to food allergies, irritable bowels, cancer, and birth defects. What’s more, GMOs harm the environment through increased pesticide-use, the rise of super-bugs and super-weeds, and loss of biodiversity.”

These risks spurred Green America to create a new campaign, called GMO Inside, with hopes of increasing awareness and keeping up the momentum from Prop 37. Visit their site to join the movement! Before your next trip to the grocery store, also consider checking out the Institute for Responsible Technology’s guide to GMO-free shopping. And don’t forget that our partners at Just Label It offer a quick and easy way for you to contact the FDA about this important issue.

So much to do before Halloween! These upcoming events sound like a scream. Glee Gum will be there, but will you? Mark your calendar to say, “Boo!”

“The World’s Largest Halloween Party” at the Louisville Zoo, Louisville, KY

October 5^th-7^th, 11^th-14^th, 18^th-21^st, 25^th-28^th, 2012

New Orleans Film Festival, New Orleans, LA

October 11^th-18^th, 2012

Anniversary Celebration at Health Hut 2, Beaver Falls, PA

October 15^th-20^th, 2012

Fall Festival at Apple Crate II, Fayetteville, NC

October 20^th, 2012

Harvest Carnival at Si View Community Center, North Bend, WA

October 20^th, 2012

Boo at the Zoo at Stone Zoo, Stoneham, MA

October 20^th-21^st, 2012

Boo at the Zoo at Gulf Breeze Zoo, Gulf Breeze, FL

October 20^th-21^st, 27^th-28^th, 2012

Boo at the Boardwalk at Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Point Pleasant, NJ

October 20^th-21^st, 27^th-28^th, 2012

Zoo Boo at Como Park Zoo, St. Paul, MN

October 20^th-21^st, 26^th-28^th, 2012

Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

October 20^th-21^st, 27^th-28^th, 2012

Anniversary Event at Neighbor’s Market, Vancouver, WA

October 25th, 2012

Slither and Squeak Halloween Event at CuriOdyssey, San Mateo, CA

October 26^th, 2012

Halloween Carnival Fundraiser at the Awakening Seed, Phoenix, AZ

October 26^th, 2012

Green Scare on the Square at the Rutherford County Courthouse Square, Murfreesboro, TN

October 26^th, 2012

Haunted Aquarium: Shipwrecked! at Birch Aquarium at Scripps, San Diego, CA

October 26^th-27^th, 2012

Boo at the Zoo at San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco, CA

October 26^th-27^th, 2012

ZooBoo at Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, NJ

October 26^th-27^th, 2012

Howl-O-Ween at Reid Park Zoo, Tucson, AZ

October 26^th-28^th, 2012

Zoo Boo at Zoo Miami, Miami, FL

October 26^th-28^th, 2012

Screamin’ Green Halloween at World Financial Center, New York, NY

October 27^th, 2012

SuperNatural at Whole Foods Market, Naperville, IL

October 27^th, 2012

Zoo Boo at Virginia Zoo, Norfolk, VA

October 27^th, 2012

Zoo Howl at Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA

October 27^th-28^th, 2012

Trick or Treat on the Waterfront at Ferry Terminal to Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, WA

October 28^th, 2012

Green Halloween at Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster, MA

October 28^th, 2012

Haunt the Hollow at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, San Jose, CA

October 28^th, 2012

Healthy Halloween Jax at Alterman and Johnson Family Chiropractors, Jacksonville Beach, FL

October 28^th, 2012

Halloween Pumpkin Bash at Whole Foods Market, Pembroke Pines, FL

October 28th, 2012

Georgia A-Scary-Um! at Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA

October 31^st, 2012

Trick-or-Treating at Whole Foods Market – Speedway, Tucson, AZ

October 31st, 2012

Halloween Block Party at Whole Foods Market – Palm Beach Gardens, FL

October 31st, 2012

Kids Trick or Treat Event at Whole Foods Market – Boca Raton, FL

October 31st, 2012

Happy Halloween Event at Whole Foods Market – South Beach, Miami, FL

October 31st, 2012

Customer Appreciation Day at Happy Heart Specialty Foods, North Platte, NE

November 1^st, 2012

Family Night at PPAC at the Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI

November 7th, 2012

Spotted in Washington, DC. Any guesses where this Peppermint Glee could be?

It’s in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian! First level, main hallway, on the way to the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe.

Pretty neat, huh?

Glee is part of a three-case exhibit entitled “American Indian Foods in the Global Pantry.” The description notes, “The global impact of foods indigenous to the Americas is so immense that we sometimes forget their origins and how they have transformed the world. Today, corn, cassava, potatoes, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes are among the world’s most heavily produced crops. These and other American foods are staples in homes throughout the world and sustain populations worldwide just as they have nourished Native families for millennia.” 

Why is Glee Gum in that case? Because it’s made with chicle, the tree sap once chewed by the ancient Maya. 

Have you spied Glee anywhere unusual lately? We’d love to see!