California Legislators Pass Bill Prohibiting Six Artificial Food Dyes in Public School Meals – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
1:17 PM – Friday, August 30, 2024
California lawmakers have passed a first ever law that would ban six artificial dyes from the foods served in the state’s public schools, sending it to the governor for his signature.
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The bill, which was passed by the California legislature on Thursday, would prohibit foods and beverages containing synthetic colorings that have been tied to neurobehavioral problems in some children when they are offered to students during school hours.
The bill stems from Democrat Assembly Member Jesse Gabrield. It is co-sponsored by both Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy health organization.
The bill has now been sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-Calif.) desk for him to sign the bill into the law. This would make the Golden State the first state ever to prohibit the additives from its school cafeterias. The legislation would come into effect in December 2027.
“California has a responsibility to protect our students from chemicals that harm children and that can interfere with their ability to learn,” Gabriel said in a statement Thursday. “This bill will empower schools to better protect the health and well-being of our kids and encourage manufacturers to stop using these harmful additives.”
Known as the California School Food Safety Act, Assembly Bill 2316 would ban Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3, which Gabriel has called “nonessential ingredients” that have natural alternatives, such as turmeric, beet juice or pomegranate juice.
The bill would not ban any foods or drinks. However, it would require substitutions that could be as small as changing a single ingredient in the recipes.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, they have not discovered a causal link between behavioral problems and synthetic dyes for children in the general population who haven’t been diagnosed with conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
A 2021 review by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment noted that the bill found that “synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral effects, such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and restlessness in sensitive children.” The evidence also pointed to a link between food dye exposure and adverse behavioral outcomes in certain children “both with and without pre-existing behavioral disorders.”
Meanwhile, ADHD diagnoses have continued to rise nationally in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” a spokesperson said in an email to NBC News. “The FDA will continue to assess the emerging science and ensure the safety of approved color additives.”
AB 2316 comes after last year’s passage of the California Food Safety Act, which was also introduced by Gabriel and banned four food additives that have been tied to potential health problems from products sold across the state, starting in January 2027. The chemicals banned included brominated vegetable oil, which is often used as a stabilizer in citrus-flavored beverages.
The California Food Safety Act also banned potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red 3 in stores across California.
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