Food additives and synthetic food dyes are commonly used to improve the shelf life, taste, and texture of different foods, however growing scientific information shows that increased consumption of these substances can be dangerous to our health. Recent studies have linked these toxic additives and dyes to cancer, behavioral health issues, inflammatory bowel diseases, and neurological issues. In children, these substances can lead to increased hyperactivity and neurobehavioral problems. Some of these synthetic dyes have not been reaffirmed by the federal Food and Drug Administration since 1969. California and the European Union have taken steps to ban food additives, and New York City and California have banned synthetic dyes from school lunches.

Under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a food company can add an ingredient into a food, without FDA approval, if the company itself determines it to be “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)”-- without needing to disclose its inclusion or the basis for determining it to be safe. Even though the law requires company make a formal determination that the additive is safe, a legal loophole allows companies to keep this process a secret and means that companies that don’t have the consumer’s best health in mind and rarely suffer any consequences for using questionable chemicals in our foods.

The implications of the GRAS loophole are profound, as it undermines public trust in food safety regulations and places consumers at risk. Many additives can remain hidden from public scrutiny, allowing potentially harmful ingredients to infiltrate the food supply without proper oversight. The Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act aims to close these loopholes, ensuring that consumers are fully informed about what they are eating and that companies prioritize public health over profit.

This bill would:

• Ban FD&C Red 3, Potassium Bromate, and Propylparabens
• Prohibit the sale of synthetic food dyes in school foods, specifically FD&C Red 3, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, with exemptions for items sold off school premises or at least 1-2 hours after the end of the school day
• Mandate companies disclose the use of ingredients used in food sold in New York State and the process for determining that these are “recognized as safe”; The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets would receive these disclosures and make the data publicly available