California Bans Red Food Dye Found in Skittles, PediaSure and More

California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill Saturday making four popular food additives illegal in the state — including the controversial red dye no. 3, which is already banned in the European Union.

The dye is found in Skittles, PediaSure, and other products aimed at children — as well as non-red foods, like mashed potatoes and rice — according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

It is now banned under the new California Food Safety Act. The law prohibits the production, sale or distribution of food products that contain the dye and three other popular additives: potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben.

In a letter about the bill, Gov. Newsom highlighted how Skittles is able to be sold in the European Union with ingredients that adhere to their ban, writing, “There have been many misconceptions about this bill and its impacts. For example, attached to this message is a bag of the popular candy "Skittles," which became the face of this proposal. This particular bag of candy comes from the European Union — a place that already bans a number of chemical additives and colorants. This is demonstrable proof that the food industry is capable of maintaining product lines while complying with different public health laws, country-to-country.”  

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Red dye no. 3 has been linked to thyroid cancer, and in 1990, was banned for use in cosmetics in the United States, according to Consumer Reports, which cosponsored the bill along with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

“The FDA says it isn’t safe enough to put it on our cheeks, but it’s okay to put it in our mouths?” Lisa Lefferts, a scientist and consultant to Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the Washington Post.

Potassium bromate, which is also banned, is “an excellent dough improver and a maturing agent,” the National Institute of Health says. However, it's a “possible carcinogen.” It's also banned in the European Union, India, and China, CBS News notes.

Brominated vegetable oil is also banned under the bill; It’s added to some beverages to keep citrus flavoring from separating, and is banned in the European Union. 

Propylparabens are used for antimicrobial food preservation, but the Environmental Working Group says it mimics estrogen and can disrupt the endocrine system.

While the National Confectioners Association decried the bill in a statement, calling it a “slippery slope” that can “create confusion around food safety” and “increase food costs,” in his letter, Newsom pointed out that “this bill's implementation is delayed until 2027 — significant time for brands to revise their recipes to avoid these harmful chemicals.”