California moves closer to banning four ingredients

Source page: https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/24648-california-moves-closer-to-banning-four-ingredients?

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — The legislature in California on Sept. 12, 2023 voted 65-6 in favor of the California Food Safety Act, which would ban the sale of food and drinks in California that contain Red No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben. If Governor Gavin Newsom signs the bill, it would go into effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Bill No. 418 originated in California’s House of Representatives and included the banning of titanium dioxide, but the Senate amended the bill and took out titanium dioxide.

Brominated vegetable oil often is used in fruit-flavored beverages, according to the FDA. Potassium bromate is an oxidizing agent used as a food additive, mainly in the bread-making process, and propylparaben is used as a preservative in foods, and it also is found in water-based cosmetics, according to the National Institutes of Health.

According to the bill, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency evaluated seven synthetic food dyes over a two-year period and found consuming them can result in hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children. According to the OEHHA, the percentage of American children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over the past 20 years has increased to 10.2% from 6.1%.

Researchers also found the FDA’s acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels for synthetic food dyes were based on studies that are 35 to 70 years old and were not designed to detect the types of effects on behavior that have been observed in children.

EDITORIAL: LET'S DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN - they are out of control!! Pass bill #418, please.