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FLORIDA - Florida lawmakers have introduced legislation aiming to ban the use of certain chemical additives in food products statewide.
Senate Bill 560, filed by State Senator Jonathan Martin on February 10th, and its companion, House Bill 595, introduced by Representative Lindsay Cross on February 13th, seek to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution of foods containing nine specific chemical additives, effective January 1, 2028.
The targeted additives are:
- Brominated vegetable oil
- Potassium bromate
- Propylparaben
- Red dye 3
- Blue dye 1
- Yellow dye 5
- Benzidine
- Butylated hydroxyanisole
- Butylated hydroxytoluene
This legislative initiative follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent decision to ban Red Dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, from all food and ingested drug products.
The FDA's action, announced on January 15th, was based on studies indicating that high doses of Red Dye No. 3 caused cancer in male laboratory rats.
Manufacturers have been given until January 15th, 2027, to reformulate food products and until January 18th, 2028, for ingested drugs to comply with the new regulation.
Senator Martin emphasized the health risks associated with these additives, stating on social media, "Some chemicals cause cancer. They have no place in our food. Period."
The proposed Florida bills aim to align state regulations with growing national and international concerns over food safety.
Notably, California enacted the California Food Safety Act in October 2023, banning Red Dye No. 3 and other additives, with enforcement beginning on January 1st, 2027.
If passed, the Florida legislation would take effect on July 1st, 2025, providing a transition period for food establishments to comply by the January 1st, 2028, deadline.
This move reflects a broader trend of state-level actions addressing food additive safety in the absence of comprehensive federal regulations.