{"id":631583,"date":"2023-04-20T18:56:02","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T23:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/20\/california-assembly-toxics-panel-advances-landmark-ban-on-chemicals-in-processed-food\/"},"modified":"2023-04-20T18:56:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T23:56:02","slug":"california-assembly-toxics-panel-advances-landmark-ban-on-chemicals-in-processed-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/20\/california-assembly-toxics-panel-advances-landmark-ban-on-chemicals-in-processed-food\/","title":{"rendered":"California Assembly toxics panel advances landmark ban on chemicals in processed food"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The\u00a0California Assembly\u2019s Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Tuesday approved a first-in-the-nation\u00a0bill\u00a0to ban five harmful chemicals from candy, cereals, and other processed food. That approval followed the Assembly\u2019s Health Committee\u2019s \u201cdo pass\u201d recommendation earlier this month.<\/p>\n

The bill,\u00a0AB 418<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0sponsored by\u00a0Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel<\/strong><\/a>, would end the use of\u00a0brominated vegetable oil<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0potassium bromate<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0propylparaben<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Red Dye No. 3<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0titanium dioxide<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in popular food products sold in the state. Any food manufactured elsewhere but placed for sale in California will have to comply with the regulation.<\/p>\n

The chemicals have been linked to serious health problems, such as a higher risk of cancer, nervous system damage, and hyperactivity.<\/p>\n

European regulators have already banned all five substances from use in food, with the narrow exception of Red No. 3 in candied cherries. Given the size of California\u2019s economy, A.B. 418 would set an important precedent for improving the safety of many processed foods.<\/p>\n

Following Europe\u2019s lead and protecting U.S. consumers is seen by supporters as the right step, while opponents of the bill that claim it would end the sale of some candy and other popular items in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no realistic chance that this bill will result in Skittles or any other product being pulled off the shelf,\u201d said Gabriel, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. \u201cThe idea here is for these companies to make minor modifications to their recipes so that these products no longer include dangerous and toxic chemicals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSkittles and many other brands have already made changes to their recipes in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other nations where these chemicals are banned,\u201d he continued. \u201cWhile the chemical companies might want you to believe we\u2019re going too far with this bill, we are in fact many steps behind the rest of the world. We simply want our kids to have the same protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Environmental Working Group<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Consumer Reports<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0support A.B. 418. The California Assembly\u2019s\u00a0Appropriations Committee<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0will next consider the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

EWG and CR say there are more than 10,000 chemicals allowed for use in food sold in the U.S. Nearly 99 percent<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of those introduced since 2000 were approved by the food and chemical industry, not the Food and Drug Administration, the agency tasked with ensuring our food supply is safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the serious and well-documented risks posed to our health by these five food chemicals, the FDA has failed to take action to protect the public,\u201d said\u00a0Brian Ronholm,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0director of food policy at Consumer Reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when the FDA\u2019s weak oversight has prevented it from taking action, it is critical for states like California to ensure consumers are protected from these toxic food chemicals,\u201d Ronholm continued. \u201cBy removing these harmful chemicals from candies, cookies, and other processed food, this bill will protect Californians and encourage manufacturers to make their products safer for the rest of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the chemicals added to food and food packaging to enhance flavor or appearance, or to preserve freshness, are likely safe to eat. But supporters say the five food chemicals covered by A.B. 418 have been linked to a number of serious health concerns. They were banned by the EU after it launched a comprehensive re-evaluation of the safety of all food additives in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are these toxic chemicals doing in our food?\u201d asks \u00a0Susan Little<\/strong><\/a>, EWG\u2019s senior advocate for California government affairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know they are harmful and that children are likely being exposed at a much higher rate than adults. It makes no sense that the same products food manufacturers sell in California are sold in the EU but without these toxic chemicals,\u201d Little said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids need to be protected, too,\u201d she added. \u201cThese harmful additives have no place in California\u2019s food supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Children have\u00a0lower tolerance levels<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0than adults to chemical exposure, and their developing bodies make them especially vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Consumers consistently rank food chemical concerns ahead of other food safety issues. But additives are not adequately regulated by the FDA, due in large part to the lack of financial support from Congress for food chemical review.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, the FDA has failed to keep us safe from toxic food chemicals,\u201d said\u00a0Scott Faber<\/strong><\/a>, EWG senior vice president for government affairs. \u201cThe chemical companies keep exploiting a loophole that allows for food additives that have not been adequately reviewed for safety by the FDA. And the FDA consistently fails to reassess chemicals, even in light of\u00a0new science<\/strong><\/a>. The food and\u00a0confectioners<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0industries know the review process at the FDA is broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the absence of federal leadership, it\u2019s up to states like California to keep us safe from dangerous chemicals in candy, cookies, and other foods our families enjoy,\u201d said Faber.<\/p>\n

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0click here<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n News Desk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0California Assembly\u2019s Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials\u00a0Tuesday approved a first-in-the-nation\u00a0bill\u00a0to ban five harmful chemicals from candy, cereals, and other processed food. That approval followed the Assembly\u2019s Health Committee\u2019s \u201cdo pass\u201d recommendation earlier this month. The bill,\u00a0AB 418,\u00a0sponsored by\u00a0Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, would end the use of\u00a0brominated vegetable oil,\u00a0potassium bromate,\u00a0propylparaben,\u00a0Red Dye No. 3\u00a0and\u00a0titanium dioxide\u00a0in popular<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":631584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43612,921],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-631583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-assembly","8":"category-california"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}