Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the nation's first law banning four "toxic" chemical food additives found in popular drinks, baked goods, candy and snacks.

California became the first state in the nation to prohibit four food additives found in popular cereal, soda, candy and drinks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a ban on them Saturday.

The California Food Safety Act will ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3 — potentially affecting 12,000 products that use those substances, according to the Environmental Working Group.

The legislation was popularly known as the “Skittles ban” because an earlier version also targeted titanium dioxide, used as a coloring agent in candies including Skittles, Starburst and Sour Patch Kids, according to the Environmental Working Group. But the measure, Assembly Bill 418, was amended in September to remove mention of the substance.

  • fiat_lux
    8•1 year ago

    What isn’t fine is that the FDA makes a practice of taking corporate bribes, allowing flawed or outright manipulated studies, etc and then suddenly approving foods, additives, drugs, that are known or strongly suspected to be unsafe.

    Yeah, corruption isn’t fine. I don’t live on that continent though, so, I’m afraid I can’t help you out much with Donald Rumsfeld. I just like accuracy in my science and proportionate anxiety about risks.

    • @lagomorphlecture@lemm.ee
      4•1 year ago

      No worries, Donald Rumsfeld is dead now. He did a LOT of damage to the rest of the world before he kicked it though. He was the US Secretary of Defense for George W Bush.

      • fiat_lux
        4•1 year ago

        Yes, I remember not being upset by the news of his passing.