(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – Proposed legislation in California would prohibit the sale of popular candies such as Skittles, Nerd, Hot Tamales, and Dubble Bubble Twist Gum because of certain chemicals they contain.
The draft legislation “Assembly Bill 418” seeks to ban titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, or propylparaben.
According to the bill’s sponsors, California Assembly members Jesse Gabriel and Buffy Wicks, the above chemicals are “toxic and dangerous” to human health, Newsmax reported.
Gabriel emphasized that the chemicals – which can be found in Skittles and Nerd candy – pose “significant public health harms.”
Those include “increased risk of cancer, behavioral issues in children, harm to the reproductive system, and damage to the immune system.”
Gabriel noted that the five chemicals in question have already been banned in the European Union because of the risks.
“Californians shouldn’t have to worry that the food they buy in their neighborhood grocery store might be full of dangerous additives or toxic chemicals,” the Democrat assemblyman declared.
“This bill will correct for a concerning lack of federal oversight and help protect our kids, public health, and the safety of our food supply,” he added during a press conference.
“We don’t love our kids any less here in the state of California than they do in Europe. And we need to take the same steps to protect our kids,” Gabriel stated.
However, food industry representatives have reacted with outrage to the proposed state law, insisting that the chemicals that it targets are safe.
Industry groups and leaders, including the National Confectioners Association, California Grocers Association, and the American Chemistry Council, have sent the state assembly a letter opposing the bill and claiming the safety of the five substances has been reviewed through existing measures.
“All five of these additives have been thoroughly reviewed by the federal and state systems and many international scientific bodies and continue to be deemed safe,” their letter declared.
The food industry groups pointed out there was a petition to the Food and Drugs Administration for banning red dye No. 3, which would be open for comments until April.
“As the makers of chocolate, candy, gum and mints, the confectionery industry … we create good-paying jobs in the manufacturing sector and support thousands of additional American jobs throughout the economy,” the letter stated.
“In California, the confectionary industry represents a $7.7 billion economic output, pays $1.8 billion in wages, and supports 106,351 total jobs in the state,” it added.
“There is no evidence to support banning the listed ingredients in the bill,” the food industry groups concluded.
If California’s legislature passes the bill, food producers in the state will have to use alternatives to the five chemical substances deemed safer.
A proposed California bill could ban the sale of food items including Skittles, Hot Tamales candy, and Dubble Bubble Twist Gum. https://t.co/eQezreKUZ0
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) March 22, 2023
