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Legislation that would ban school districts and charter schools from giving or selling students food containing a certain color additive is headed to Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer.
The additive is a red dye commonly called Red 40. It’s made from petroleum and is found in foods such as cereal, juice, soft drinks and ice cream. Brands that use it include Doritos chips, Gatorade sport drinks and Kellogg’s Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts.
The bill’s House sponsor, state Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, R-Millsboro, said other countries like Canada and Europe have restricted the use of Red 40 because of concerns it can cause cancer, hyperactivity in children and organ damage.
“If you were in Michigan at Kellogg’s headquarters, and then you drove a few hours north into Canada, and you had a sudden urge for Froot Loops, and you ordered some at a diner or someplace, they would appear completely differently than they do in this country,” he said. “The reason for that is Canada said, ‘No, we’re done with your caustic chemicals and trying to influence our kids.’”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in April they planned to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.
“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said in a news release. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.”
The FDA banned Red 3 earlier this year because of cancer-causing concerns.