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The California Legislature has passed a bill with bipartisan support that would ban the use of red dye No. 40 and five others. Chemicals in food Served in public schools.
The Golden State became the first in the nation to pass a law banning the use of ingredients found in some popular cereals, ice cream, drinks, candy, ice pops, cheese-flavored chips, if it was signed into law on Thursday. , Jelley, and others like the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization that helped draft the law with consumer reports.
known as California School Food Safety Act And introduced in February by Democratic Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, Assembly Bill 2316 would prohibit a school district, county superintendent of schools or charter school from serving food or beverages containing red dye #40, yellow dyes #5 and #6 to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Blue colors number 1 and 2, and green color number 3.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has until Sept. 30 to sign the bill, which would take effect Dec. 31, 2027, if it becomes law.
California is home to the largest public school system in the nation, with more than 6.3 million students and 10,000 schools, state Superintendent of Public Instruction and bill sponsor Tony Thurmond said at an Aug. 6 news briefing hosted by EWG.
The bill stems from concerns that these dyes could harm children's learning abilities, as they have been linked to behavioral problems and reduced attention spans in children, he said. Study of 2021 By the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
The law “is important to me as a parent, it's important to me as someone who struggled with ADHD as a child, and it's important to me as a parent of a child struggling with ADHD,” Gabriel said in a statement. “We know that the artificial food colorings targeted by this bill can harm all children, but we know that they have a unique impact on many of our youth with ADHD and other challenges.”
According to Gabriel and EWG, despite “new science,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's current food coloring regulations are based on 35 to 70 years of research.
“Re-evaluating chemicals in food as new, relevant information becomes available is a priority for FDA,” the agency said in a statement. “The FDA has reviewed the research on the effects of color additives on children's behavior, including the literature review cited by Bill. The overall scientific evidence shows that most children do not experience any adverse effects when taking color additives, but some evidence suggests that some children may be sensitive to them.” .
In addition to FDA reviews, the agency supports and participates in international risk assessments conducted under the UN Food and Agriculture Organization/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.
“All listed colors have recently undergone a food safety evaluation by JFCA and have been found to be safe for consumption under current conditions of use,” the FDA said.
However, the agency will continue to review the science to ensure the safety of approved color additives next September and hold a public meeting in September to review the post-market review process for chemicals in food, the statement said.
John Hewitt of the Consumer Brands Association, which represents more than 1,700 brands, said in a statement: “It is unfortunate that scientifically proven and safe ingredients are being demonized to advance a political agenda.
“No industry is more committed to food safety than the consumer packaged goods industry. That's why we strongly urge the FDA to accept its responsibility as the nation's food safety regulator,” said Hewitt, the association's senior vice president of packaging and sustainability and state affairs, in an email. It can cost schools and families money, limit choice and access, and create consumer confusion.”
But Thurmond emphasized the greater importance of “the cost of inaction … in a country where our children already have some of the highest rates of disease; AsthmaDiabetes (and) Heart Disease” compared to other countries.
Gabriel echoed those sentiments, adding that the bill could ultimately save California money by reducing the use of resources needed to help struggling children in the classroom.
“I see this through personal experience and my work as a legislator,” he added. “It's really expensive.”
If Newsom signs the bill, the decision would bring the U.S. food environment into line with the European Union, requiring products including these colors to carry a warning label that those products could harm young people, Gabriel added.
“The point of this bill is to encourage manufacturers to make small improvements to their recipes, to provide the same foods that we all love, that our children love, but without these dangerous chemicals that harm people,” he said. “We're confident they can do it … because many countries around the world make similar products, just without the harmful chemicals.”
EWG has It was mentioned in the past A few foods available in California schools use the ingredient that would be banned if the bill is signed.
But Gabriel and other members of the assembly said they believe the bill is “a huge victory for the food safety movement here in the state of California,” given the size of California's economy, citing more than 70. Organizations support the bill.
After the state banned bromide vegetable oil used in some sodas as part of California's food safety law in October 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Rule overruled. To be used after nine months.
And at least 10 other states have begun to follow California's lead, introducing legislation based on the practice, Gabriel said.
If you're concerned about the potential impact of these dyes on your child's health, experts say you can help them avoid them by checking the list of any products you buy — especially packaged foods, which are typically highly processed and therefore more likely to contain artificial dyes. According to the EWG.
You can also try alternatives without those ingredients—foods that are USDA-certified organic can't contain artificial food coloring, for example. Also, cut back on sodas, juices, or sports drinks. Offering children substitutes can be more effective than flat out denying them what they want.
“Emphasis on brightly colored products,” suggests the EWG. “The best competition for spray packages on highly processed foods is the rainbow colors in fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Actress Leslie-Anne Brandt revealed in the interview that she has ongoing discussions with her 7-year-old son about which foods are more or less healthy to eat and why.
“We talk to him like an adult, and he knows we're not going to eat this because of that, but here's another option,” Brandt said. We also make some of our meals, and it's a way to discuss nutrition.
Brandt saw the benefits of nutrition in her own family, she added. Having grown up in two “very different” food systems in South Africa and New Zealand, she says, “I really noticed the difference coming to the States 14 years ago.”
“I'm also the older sister of a brother who had severe ADHD as a child, so I saw firsthand the impact of diet and how it helped him,” Brandt said. “One of the first things my mother does to try and prevent him from treating him badly is to look at his food and the processed sugars, ingredients, food dyes and artificial chemicals he can't serve at school.
“And for him it was really the difference between a B student and a C student,” she said. “It affected his confidence.”