A California bill that would ban ingredients in popular treats like Skittles and Sour Patch Kids moved one step closer to becoming law today.
A second committee of the state assembly has voted to approve the bill, which will now be sent to a third committee where it must be passed before it reaches the assembly floor.
If the bill becomes law, it will prevent five chemicals from being used in food sold or produced in the state. Each of these chemicals is already banned in the EU. Among the affected chemicals in Red 3, a food coloring used in some candies. Previous research linked exposure to cancer in mice.
Councilman Jesse Gabriel, who introduced the bill in February, told DailyMail.com in March that “the purpose of the bill is to protect children and their parents from harmful chemicals.” He hopes it will encourage manufacturers to move away from these chemicals, just as they had to do to comply with regulations in Europe.
The state assembly’s Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials voted Tuesday to approve the bill. Last week, the Health Commission approved it 12 to 1. Now the bill will go to the Appropriations Committee of the Assembly.
The state assembly’s Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials voted Tuesday to pass the bill.
Last week, the Health Commission approved it 12 to 1. Now the bill will go to the Appropriations Committee of the Assembly.
Asm Gabriel, a Democrat representing the 46th district just northwest of Los Angeles, said in a press release Wednesday, “There is no real chance that this bill will result in Skittles or any other product being taken off the shelf.
“The idea here is for these companies to make minor changes to their recipes so that these products no longer contain dangerous and toxic chemicals.”
He added: ‘Skittles and many other brands have already made changes to their recipes in the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries where these chemicals are banned.
“While the chemical companies may want you to believe that we are going too far with this bill, in fact we are way behind the rest of the world.
“We just want our children to have the same protection.”
The Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, which oversees toxic and hazardous materials regulations.
Now it goes to the Credit Committee, which is responsible for bills that will affect state finances.
In this case, preventing the production and sale of these goods in the state will lead to possible changes in the job and consumer markets.
The health committee, which approved the bill last week, oversees public health matters in the state.
After passing through committee, it is voted on by the entire state assembly.
If it then passes the same process in the state Senate, it will reach Gov Gavin Newsom’s bar to be signed into law.
Lawmakers hope to see the bill take effect on January 1, 2025.
It has the support of advocacy groups such as Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group.
Brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate and titanium dioxide and propylparaben are among the chemicals targeted by the law.
If it becomes law, the bill would also prevent the production of food products, including these chemicals, in the state — even if they are sold elsewhere.
While the state assembly only deals with California matters, Asm Gabriel sees the new regulations as having a national impact.
The additives are added to the food to improve their taste or appearance or to keep them fresh.
Titanium dioxide is the most notable of the group.
The additive was at the center of a 2022 lawsuit filed last year in the Golden State alleging that the popular candies Skittles were not fit to be eaten.
Another targeted additive is Red 3, a food coloring found in many candies to enhance their color.
Since the early 1980s, studies have shown that in very high doses it can cause cancer in laboratory animals and has been linked to behavioral problems in children.
For these reasons, it was banned in cosmetic products in 1990, but it is still in many foods and sweets, including baked goods and breakfast cereals.
Brian Ronholm, the director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said: “Despite the serious and well-documented risks to our health from these five food chemicals, the FDA has failed to take action to protect the public.
Asm Jesse Gabriel (pictured) filed the bill last month. He hopes to “protect” families in California by banning these potentially harmful substances
The committee’s vote is an important first step by California lawmakers to remove these harmful chemicals from candies, cookies and other processed foods.
“At a time when weak FDA oversight has prevented action, it is critical for states like California to ensure consumers are protected from these toxic food chemicals.”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington DC-based consumer advocacy group, petitioned the FDA last year to ban the chemical.
a Study from 2012 of Brazilian researchers found that Red 3 can cause genotoxicity – when the DNA suffers toxic damage – and also causes permanent transmissible changes in strains.
In 2020, California’s Environmental Protection Agency found children those who regularly consumed Red 3 were more likely to experience hyperactivity and inattention.
A 2016 study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Asheville found that the dye was used in 11.1 percent of candy products.
It was also found in 3.3 percent of pastries, 2.6 percent of fruit snacks and 2.6 percent of cakes marketed to children.
Brominated vegetable oil is a vegetable compound used to combine the elements of citrus-flavored soft drinks.
Prolonged exposure to the chemical can damage the body’s central nervous system. It has been linked to the development of chronic headaches, memory loss and impaired balance.
It was previously used in the popular soft drink Mountain Dew until parent company Pepsi removed the ingredient in 2020.
Sun Drop, a similarly flavored soda manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, still uses it.
Many other budget and store brand versions of Mountain Dew and Sprite sold around the country also use the chemical.
It is banned as an additive in the EU, India and Japan. Its use in the US is limited to citrus drinks only, where it can uniquely blend different elements.
Propylparaben is often used in baked goods as a preservative because the substance derived from some plants and insects has antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
Some highly processed, ready-to-eat baked goods contain it. The Weight Watchers line of backed deserts — aimed at people trying to shed pounds — is one of the culprits.
The additive has been linked to fertility problems in mice, with previous research showing that it can reduce sperm count in men and interfere with estrogen development in women.
Some experts fear it could cause similar damage to people’s endocrine systems.
Despite this, the FDA still considers propylparaben “generally recognized as safe.”
Potassium bromate is also found in many baked goods, including the popular sugar cookie brand Balducci’s.
It is banned in the EU, Canada and Brazil, among others, because of its link to the development of thyroid and kidney cancer.
It is often used in processed foods to help dough rise higher.