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Last October, California became the first state to ban four food additives. Brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3 were used, and other states have since followed suit. law, Assembly Bill 418, takes effect in 2027.
Missouri and Washington are the newest additions to the list, which also includes New York and Illinois. If passed, both bills would go into effect on January 1, 2027, and would end the sale, delivery, distribution, possession, or sale of food containing any of the four additives in each state. Red dye No. 3 has been banned for almost all food applications in the European Union since the early 1990s. It is also banned in Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
In 1990, F.D.A. Red dye No. 3 has been banned from use in cosmetics and topical medicines, but its addition to food is still permitted. The FDA states on its website: How Red No. 3 causes cancer in animals, It does not occur in humans, especially in rats, so results in these animals have limited relevance to humans. Because these studies did not raise any safety concerns, the FDA did not take any action to revoke Red No. 3’s approval in food. ”
introduced by california another bill This would ban seven more additives in the form of food colorings from being served in public schools.
These laws list health issues such as: Reasons for wanting to ban food additives include cancer, reproductive problems, and problems with children’s behavior and development, but some food industry groups have doubts about the scientific support.
“There are many different activities going on in certain states, but only one is mandated by law. In fact, this campaign is baseless, emotionally driven, and has no scientific basis. “More and more states are pulling back,” he said. Chris Gindlesperger, senior vice president of public relations and communications for the National Confectionery Association, said in an interview with Food Dive.
Indiana, Maryland, South Dakota, Washington, and West Virginia are among the states that have rejected proposals to ban these food additives. In March, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a resolution stating that food safety decisions should be made at the FDA at the national level.. NCA executives agree.
“Our position is that the FDA should be making these decisions, not sleepless people searching Google at night.” Gindlesperger.
In November, the FDA updated its report. List of food chemicals of concernincluding BVO, which proposed a federal ban and teased that red Dye 3 could be next.
Gindlesperger said NCA is a national trade association based in Washington, D.C., that represents manufacturers of chocolate, candy, gum and mints. These laws would result in “significant costs” to the confectionery industry, he said, noting that “reformulating and reformulating products to meet the requirements is very expensive.”
The real question, Gindlesperger said, is what could happen if state lawmakers continue down this path. “We’re going to end up with a patchwork of laws from state to state that will: raise food costs, cause massive confusion for consumers; “It diminishes and erodes consumer confidence in safety systems.”
However, other factors may be reducing consumer confidence in the industry. What OnePoll’s recent survey revealed 36% of Americans believe that: FDA prioritizes manufacturers’ economic interests Issues surrounding consumer health.
The additives that are subject to investigation under these laws are primarily found in baked goods, candies, and carbonated beverages.
state legislator Work with nonprofit organizations like Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group, to determine which additives to include, the New York Times reported. The criteria were ingredients that have been banned in Europe but are still widely used in the United States and for which studies have shown strong evidence of health risks.
Red Dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a coal tar dye. synthetic coloring agent According to Homer, it is made from petroleum. Sway, PhD, serves as senior vice president of Healthy Living and Consumer Safety Science at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization focused on public health and consumer safety. Since the early 1900s, this dye has become popular in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its bright red hue.
according to Gindlesperger “The people who made the decisions in California are not toxicologists. They are not professionals with special track records who have the regulatory expertise to make these very important decisions,” NCA executives said. said.
