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A measure moving through Springfield would ban several
additives, including brominated vegetable oil and red dye number
3. California recently passed a similar ban, but if enacted,
Illinois would have one of the strictest food additive bans in
the country under Illinois Senate Bill 2637.
“It is time we protect the health of Illinoisans, Illinois
children and families by establishing new safety guidelines for
specific chemical ingredients,” said state Sen. Willie Preston,
D-Chicago, during a news conference Wednesday in Springfield.
Preston has said he intended to add titanium dioxide to the ban,
which can be found in candy and coffee creamers, and the FDA
currently considers safe for consumption. A move to ban the
additive in California failed.
In response to the state legislative proposals to ban certain
FDA-approved food additives, the National Confectioners
Association said states shouldn't get ahead of the federal
government.
“It’s time to stop pretending that magazine publishers and state
legislators have the scientific expertise and qualifications to
make these very important determinations. The FDA needs to flex
its authority as the rightful national regulatory decision maker
and leader in food safety. States usurping FDA’s authority does
nothing but create a patchwork of inconsistent requirements that
increase food costs, create confusion around food safety, and
erode consumer confidence,” the group said in a statement.
James Coughlin, food toxicology expert with the Institute of
Food Technologists, said there should be a uniform set of rules
for the entire country.
"This patchwork of several states having their own banned
additives on a list make it very difficult for food
manufacturers to sell things in interstate commerce,” said
Coughlin.
The Illinois Manufacturers' Association has gone on record
against the proposed measure, saying it would set a “dangerous
precedent.”
An amendment to SB2637 was approved by the Illinois Senate
Public Health Committee Wednesday.
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