California Working to Keep Kids Safe From Food Dyes
October 3, 2024
A FoodFight victory came when Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316) into law. This makes California the first state nationwide to ban dangerous food dyes in school lunches. This is a good step in protecting the nearly six million children in California public schools from a polluted food system that wreaks havoc on their health and potential.
This law bans seven chemicals from public school lunches: Titanium Dioxide, Red Dye 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3.
Titanium Dioxide can cause harm to the immune system and DNA and chromosomal damage. The dyes have been shown to cause hyperactivity and neurobehavioral problems in children. It’s completely counterproductive for schools to feed children food that will hurt their ability to pay attention in class, yet such was the reality. Now, with the implementation of the California School Food Safety Act, California school children will have one less impediment to their ability to learn.
Many children rely on school lunches, and even more so in California, where, starting in 2022, the state provides free lunch to any student regardless of whether or not they qualify for federal lunch programs. Expanding free lunch only further emphasizes how important it is for schools to do their job by feeding students safe, nutritious meals that will foster their learning.
“Healthy, safe school meals are foundational to our students’ wellbeing and ability to learn. As someone who depended on school meals growing up, I know how critical it is that our children receive food at school that is nutritious and is never harmful,” said Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction. “AB 2316 is an important step forward to ensure that California’s schools are healthy and equitable learning environments for all.”
The bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, said today, “California is once again leading the nation when it comes to protecting our kids from dangerous chemicals that can harm their bodies and interfere with their ability to learn.” Assemblyman Gabriel has spoken in the past about his own struggles with ADHD and how he hopes this bill will “encourage manufacturers to stop using these harmful additives.” California food laws are often influential across the United States. California is a sufficiently large market, so manufacturers will often reformulate rather than make a California-specific product, which means we all might benefit from this change.
The United States isn’t in line with the rest of the world when it comes to food chemicals, especially coloring agents. In the EU, titanium dioxide is banned outright, and products containing synthetic food dyes must carry a warning label. The warning label requirement has dramatically reduced the use of these dyes in the EU market.
The California School Food Safety Act is just the latest victory for the state over harmful food chemicals. Last year the state passed AB 418, the California Food Safety Act, which banned four dangerous chemicals from food sold in the state. Jesse Gabriel also sponsored that bill.
While we are enthusiastic about this recent development in California, there is a long way to go and many more changes that need to be made to clean up the American food system.
So, if you think it’s time to clean up our food, become a FoodFight Warrior. Sign up below to stay informed with important changes in your food and have opportunities to speak out for a cleaner food system.
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