Senate agriculture committee advances bill to disclose novel food chemicals, bans three additives

A New York State Senate committee advanced a bill on disclosure of novel food chemicals and a limited ban on three additives after members debated liability, enforcement and impact on small producers.

The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture voted to report S.1239B — the Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act — to the Senate Health Committee after sponsor Senator Kavanaugh explained the bill’s purpose and fielded questions from committee members. The measure, as described by the sponsor, would (1) ban the sale in New York of foods containing three listed chemicals — “red dye number 3, potassium bromate, and propyltholibin” — and (2) require companies that rely on a federal “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) determination made without notifying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to disclose that determination and supporting safety data to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (Ag & Markets), which would…