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Vermont educators and health experts urge caution on school dye ban, ask for implementation review
Summary
School leaders, health clinicians and food-safety scientists testified in support of S.26’s goal to restrict synthetic food dyes in school foods but asked the Senate Health & Welfare Committee to pause or refine the bill to gather implementation details from school food service directors and clarify compliance mechanisms.
Supporters of a bill to restrict synthetic food dyes in school foods told the Senate Health & Welfare Committee on Friday that the policy is grounded in emerging science but needs a clear, workable path to implementation.
Chelsea Myers, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association, asked legislators to delay action on S.26 until school food service directors can testify about day-to-day operational realities, citing potential hidden costs for schools such as additional paperwork, training and procurement adjustments. "Assumptions about impact are not the same as understanding the day-to-day operational realities in our schools," Myers said.
Physicians and public-health experts who testified backed the bill’s precautionary goal. Dr. Shilpa Ravella, a practicing gastroenterologist,…
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