Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Nutrition Food Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee advances bill to restrict synthetic food dyes in school meals after medical testimony
Summary
House Bill 134, proposing restrictions on Red No. 40 (and related synthetic dyes in school food), was advanced by the subcommittee after physicians and food-safety advocates testified that clinical and mechanistic studies link synthetic dyes to adverse neurobehavioral effects in some children.
The House Education Administration Subcommittee voted to send House Bill 134 to the full Education Committee after testimony from medical and food-safety experts urging state-level action to limit synthetic food dyes in school meals.
Representative Davis, sponsor of HB 134, told the subcommittee the bill is intended to remove red dye No. 40 from meals served in public schools because, the sponsor said, evidence links that additive to behavioral and attentional problems in some children. The sponsor said the goal is to reduce exposures among children who eat multiple school meals and who may be especially susceptible.
Dr. Denise Sibley, an internal medicine physician from Johnson City who testified as an individual, cited scientific reviews and clinical trials she said show an association between synthetic food dyes and worsened neurobehavioral outcomes, particularly in neurodivergent children. She told the committee that affected children may receive breakfast, lunch and snacks at school, increasing their total dye exposure, and that reducing dyes in school food could improve attention and decrease disruptive behavior in class.
Alan Boyington of Food Fight USA described the regulatory history and criticized reliance on legacy approvals by regulators, citing a 2021 independent review he said concluded synthetic dyes can cause or worsen hyperactivity in some children. Both witnesses urged Tennessee to adopt restrictions or labeling requirements rather than wait for federal action.
Committee members pressed witnesses and sponsor on the scope of federal Child Nutrition Program rules and whether state-level action would conflict with federal requirements for school meals. Legal staff explained USDA school meal standards govern meal components and that local implementation involves LEAs; legal staff said she was not prepared at the subcommittee to detail federal/local compliance interactions.
The clerk recorded six ayes; HB 134 was moved to full Education. Sponsors said they were open to amendments — including expanding the list of dyes under consideration — and would consult with stakeholders before the next hearing.
