Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Nutrition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to remove Red Dye 40 from school nutrition program
Summary
Representative Davis’s bill to prohibit Red Dye 40 (commonly Red 40) in school nutrition programs was amended to target school meals and moved to Calendar and Rules after committee vote 14-4.
House Bill 134, sponsored by Representative Davis, was advanced by the House Education Committee after the committee adopted an amendment narrowing the measure to school nutrition programs.
Davis told the committee that the European Union requires 2010-era labeling for the dye and read language that "it may have an adverse effect on the activity and the attention on children." He cited a 2021 peer-reviewed systematic review and letters from researchers and clinicians saying synthetic food dyes can exacerbate neurobehavioral problems in some children. The amendment adopted in committee (amendment 50495) limited the bill’s scope to school nutrition programs, preserving concessions and other non-school-meal uses.
Why it matters: If implemented, school nutrition programs would have to remove products containing Red Dye 40 (Red 40) from meals, possibly shifting vendor choices and menus. Sponsors noted vendor lists contain acceptable alternatives and argued the change would not be disruptive to school meal operations.
What happened in committee: The committee adopted a rewritten amendment and then moved the bill to Calendar and Rules. The clerk recorded 14 ayes and 4 nays.
Key quotes: "Since 02/2010, the European Union requires that food containing Allure Red ... have a warning label that reads that it may have an adverse effect on the activity and the attention on children," Representative Randy Davis said while presenting the bill.
Provenance: sponsor presentation and discussion beginning at transcript block s=2195.89; clerk tally recorded at s=2669.68.
