New State Legislative Efforts to Regulate Color Additives in Food
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
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  • The introduction of state legislation purporting to regulate food colors and dyes, which saw more than a dozen states introducing bills in 2024, continues to move forward. Recently, California issued an executive order to recommend actions to reduce foods with synthetic food dyes, and Utah recently introduced H.B. 402 seeking to prohibit foods containing various synthetic dyes. Two new additional legislative efforts have emerged from Florida and Virginia.
  • Florida’s HB641
    • On January 15, 2025, Florida representatives introduced a new bill, HB641, which seeks to increase transparency for consumers regarding the presence of synthetic dyes in food products. If passed, this bill would require food manufacturers to include a warning label on products containing synthetic dyes.
  • Virginia’s SB1289:
    • On February 10, 2025, both chambers of Virginia’s legislature passed SB1289, a bill that will eliminate certain color additives, including Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1, from the food served in the state’s elementary and secondary schools. 
  • We expect to see continued activity at the state level, and following the FDA’s recent action on Red No. 3, advocacy at the federal level may increase.
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