On Oct. 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 418, also known as the California Food Safety Act. As discussed in a July 2023 GT Alert on the bill, the legislation prohibits parties from manufacturing, distributing, or selling food products that contain certain additive substances.

Following amendments in the committee process, the final language of the law prohibits a person or entity from manufacturing, selling, delivering, holding, or offering for sale a food product for human consumption that contains: (i) bromated vegetable oil; (ii) potassium bromate; (iii) propylparaben; or (iv) red dye 3.

A notable change from the original iteration of the bill is the removal of titanium dioxide from the list of prohibited additives. The effective date of Jan. 1, 2027, and the enforcement provisions remain unchanged.

Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers should analyze their products for the presence of these additives in order to comply with the new restrictions.