New proposal invoice California is looking to ban five chemicals frequently found in candy and snack foods — all of which are currently banned in the European Union — claiming they could be dangerous to consumers.
AB 418, sponsored by California Democratic Assembly members Jesse Gabriel and Buffy Weeks, targets Red Dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben. The bill prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution in California of any food product that contains these ingredients.
In the united states, the ingredients can be found in a variety of common processed foods, including breakfast cereals, candy, soda, cottage cheese, and trail mix.
Gabriel in a press release He claimed that the target materials could be toxic to consumers.
“California residents shouldn’t have to worry that the food they buy at their neighborhood grocery store might be full of dangerous additives or toxic chemicals,” Gabriel said. “The bill will correct this troubling lack of federal oversight and help protect our children, the public health, and the safety of our food supply.”
The European Union does not allow these chemicals to be used in food “due to scientific studies that have shown significant harm to public health, including Increased risk of cancerAnd Behavioral issues in childrenAnd Harm to the reproductive systemAnd Immune system damageGabriel added.
The lawmakers’ statement also discussed how such chemicals are used and why they are approved in the United States, despite being banned in other countries.
“Currently, there are thousands of chemicals added to food to make it last longer, taste better, and appear more enticing,” the press release said. “It is shocking that most of these chemicals have not been independently evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or recently reviewed in decades.”
These chemicals are allowed in US foods because of the “GRAS” rule, which stands for “Generally Recognized as Safe.”
Normally, the Food and Drug Administration requires that all food additives be reviewed before they can enter a country’s food supply. but, GRAS Manufacturers are allowed to bypass reviews if the food additive in question is “generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been shown to be adequately safe under conditions of intended use.”
Because of this rule, Gabriel said, “chemical companies have been adding new substances to the food supply without any meaningful federal oversight.”
Supporters of the bill note that some products containing this specific food additive omit it when the products are sold in other countries.
“Why are there these toxic chemicals in our food?” said Susan Little of the Environmental Working Group. “It just doesn’t make sense that the same products that California food manufacturers sell in the EU but without these toxic chemicals.”
If the bill passes, California will be the first and only state to ban foods containing certain additives.
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