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Committee Hears Testimony on Bill to Ban Certain Additives from School Meals

3598077 · May 21, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Supporters including nutritionists, advocates and parents told the House Education and Workforce Committee that House Bill 4,369 would remove artificial dyes and other specified additives from foods served with taxpayer dollars in Michigan schools; members asked about vendor regulation, costs, kitchen capacity and next steps.

Representative Matt Paquette introduced House Bill 4,369 and called witnesses, including nutritionist Liana Werner‑Gray and several advocates, to testify in favor of removing specified artificial dyes and additives from food served using taxpayer dollars in schools.

Liana Werner‑Gray, who identified herself as a certified nutritionist, said studies link artificial food colors such as Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 to behavioral issues in children and cited a 2007 randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study published in The Lancet as evidence that food colors and preservatives can increase hyperactivity. She said the Michigan program should favor “real nourishing foods” and noted…

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