Following the wave of state-level legislation on food additives cropping up across the U.S., two bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania to prohibit nine chemicals from being used as food additives in the state, due to potential harms to human health. Additionally, just prior to Pennsylvania’s introduction of its two bills, the state of Kentucky wrote a resolution urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to mandate and enforce a federal prohibition on U.S. food manufacturers producing or selling food containing harmful ingredients that have been banned by several other countries.
Pennsylvania House Bill (HB) 2116 would ban red dye 3, red dye 40, yellow dye 5, yellow dye 6, blue dye 1, and blue dye 2. The second bill, HB 2117, targets potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), and beta hydroxy acids (BHA). Some scientific literature has linked the chemicals included in the two bills to heightened risk of cancer, hyperactivity and behavioral issues in children, damage to DNA, and harm to the nervous, endocrine, and reproductive systems. State Representatives Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington) and Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester) introduced the bills.