California becomes the first state to ban four chemicals in food, including red dye No. 3

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that bans four food additives linked to health problems, the first time a state has outlawed chemicals allowed by the Food and Drug Administration.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that bans four food additives linked to health problems, the first time a state has outlawed chemicals allowed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Starting in 2027, California will prohibit red dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben after Newsom, a Democrat, signed Assembly Bill 418 into law Saturday. All four ingredients have been made illegal in the European Union and some other parts of the world, but they can be found in commonly sold items in the U.S., such as some brands of orange soda, icing, hamburger rolls, candies and processed foods.

The chemicals have been associated with issues from hyperactivity in children to cancer. 

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who introduced the bill with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a fellow Democrat, said he was “elated and deeply grateful” to Newsom for signing it. 

“The state is stepping up to protect people,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday.