By Jondi Gumz
On Sept. 11, the California State Senate passed AB 418, landmark legislation to prohibit four harmful chemicals in processed foods and drinks sold in California, starting in 2027.
Authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), the California Food Safety Act would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution in California of any food product containing Red Dye No. 3, Potassium Bromate, Brominated Vegetable Oil, or Propyl Paraben.
The use of these chemicals has already been banned in the European Union’s 27 nations due to scientific research linking them to cancer, reproductive issues, and behavioral and developmental issues in children.
AB 418 must get a concurrence vote in the State Assembly before the legislative session ends Sept. 14. In May, Assembly members Gail Pellerin, Dawn Addis and Robert Rivas voted yes.
If signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, AB 418 would not ban products; it would require companies to make changes to products sold in California.
Because of the size of California’s market, this could prompt a nationwide transition to safer alternatives.
Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, called AB 418 “the most important food safety bill in more than a decade.”
He added, “For decades, chemical companies have been able to exploit a loophole that allows food additives to escape adequate review and oversight by the FDA. Since the FDA has failed to keep us safe, it has become the responsibility of states like California to step up and lead.”
The bill has a long list of supporters, including Beyond Pesticides, California Teachers Association, Breast Cancer Action, Learning Disabilities Association of America, and Long Beach Gray Panthers.
A coalition of food product producers, retailers, and manufacturers submitted a letter of opposition, arguing that the federal government has a comprehensive food safety process that reviews food additives.
“It’s unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to food safety,” Gabriel said. “This bill will not ban any foods or products — it simply will require food companies to make minor modifications to their recipes and switch to the safer alternative ingredients that they already use in Europe and so many other places around the globe.”
Former governor and fitness icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, who endorsed AB 418, said “Things like this aren’t partisan. They’re common sense.”
He added, “I’m a small government guy. But I’ve also seen that sometimes, in a world where every big industry has an army of lobbyists, and our kids have no one fighting for them, government has to step in.”
AB 418 was amended by the Senate to remove titanium dioxide from the list of banned additives and to delay implementation until 2027, giving food companies more time to negotiate new contracts and phase in new recipes.
Many major brands and manufacturers – including Coke, Pepsi, Gatorade, and Panera – have voluntarily stopped using the additives that would be banned under AB 418 because of concerns about their impact on human health.
In 1990, the FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 in cosmetics after studies showed it caused thyroid cancer in lab animals, but it’s still allowed in food.
A 2021 analysis of studies commissioned by the state of California reported that of 25 total studies, 16 identified some association between food coloring and behavioral problems such as in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Red dye is found in Doritos and Skittles, Brach’s candies, Pez and Peeps, and Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot.
Brominated vegetable oil is used in Sun Drop soda; it was in Gatorade until Pepsi changed the recipe, pushed by a petition by a 15-year-old on Change.Org. Bromine can irritate the skin and membranes in the nose, mouth, lungs and stomach. Long-term exposure can cause headache, memory loss, and impaired balance or coordination.
Propyl parabens are endocrine disruptors and can fuel cancer cells. It’s found in Sara Lee cinnamon rolls.
Potassium bromate, often added to baked goods, was found to increase kidney and thyroid cancer in lab animals.
Check the ingredients list, usually in small print on the back of the label.
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Read the bill at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/
Photo Credit: Michelle Leman • Pexels