California Passes Bill Banning These Food Dyes in School Lunches

All parents want the best for their kids, and as little ones head back to school, that extends to school lunches. In an effort to improve the nutritional quality of school meals, California recently passed a groundbreaking bill that bans several artificial food dyes from school lunches.

The California School Food Safety Act specifically targets six artificial dyes: Red No. 40, Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Blue Nos. 1 and 2, and Green No. 3. These additives, commonly found in everything from cereal to ice cream to soft drinks, are more prevalent than many realize.

The decision follows growing concerns about the potential effects of these dyes on children’s behavior. A 2021 study by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found a link between certain food dyes and behavioral challenges, including reduced attention and increased hyperactivity.

The law is “important to me as a parent, it’s important to me as somebody who’s struggled with ADHD as a child, and it’s important to me as a parent of a child who is struggling with ADHD,” democratic assemblymember and author of the bill Jesse Gabriel said in a briefing. “We know that the synthetic food dyes that are targeted by this bill can cause harm for all kids, but we know that there is a specially pronounced impact on a lot of our young people with ADHD and other challenges.”

The Food and Drug Administration maintains that they continue to reassess the safety of chemicals like Red No. 40 in food, but some, including Gabriel and the Environmental Working Group, believe the information to be out of date. “The FDA has reviewed the research on the effects of color additives on children’s behavior including the literature review cited by the Bill. The totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the FDA said in a statement.

For many, the possibility that even a small group of children could benefit from the ban is enough reason to support it. The bill, which has passed the California state legislature with bipartisan backing, now awaits the governor’s signature to become law.

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