Recent polls have shown that Americans' top concerns include the economy, border security, and education, among others. Townhall has reported how voters have indicated that they overwhelmingly trust Republican lawmakers more than Democrats to handle some of these key issues.
This week, one Democrat-led state announced that it enacted a law that would ban certain kinds of snacks and candies due to some of their ingredients. This, while crime, border crossings, and the economy continue to worsen.
A new law in California, the California Food Safety Act, dubbed the “Skittles ban,” will ban four chemicals used in snacks, usually candy, that are deemed “dangerous” to consume.
The additives impacted by the ban are red dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben, according to Forbes. These additives are reportedly used in snacks like marshmallow Peeps, Brach’s candy corn, among others.
The bill was nicknamed the “Skittles ban” because an earlier version of the legislation reportedly banned titanium dioxide, which is found in Skittles. While titanium dioxide is no longer included in the law, the name stuck.
Crime is through the roof, worst drug epidemic ever & homelessness at an all time high in CA… Let’s focus on Skittles pic.twitter.com/ohWQcUcQjf
— Mario Lopez (@mariolopezviva) October 10, 2023
Going forward, the companies will have until 2027 to re-formulate their products by omitting the banned chemicals. California is the first state in the nation to enact this kind of legislation.
“There have been many misconceptions about this bill and its impacts,” a copy of a letter from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) stated. “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.”
Daily Mail reported that the European Union has already outlawed these additives, including titanium dioxide, in their foods. Skittles sold in these countries have a different formula as a result.
Some groups claim that the chemicals have been linked to serious health conditions, such as cancer in animals. USA TODAY noted that Red Dye 3 has been linked to this, but no research has confirmed that it causes cancer in humans.
“It’s unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to food safety," California Democratic Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, who authored AB 418, said.
On the other hand, the National Confectioners Association came out against the law.
“California is once again making decisions based on soundbites rather than science,” the organization said in a statement.
“Governor Newsom’s approval of this bill will undermine consumer confidence and create confusion around food safety,” the statement continued. “This law replaces a uniform national food safety system with a patchwork of inconsistent state requirements created by legislative fiat that will increase food costs. This is a slippery slope that the FDA could prevent by engaging on this important topic. We should be relying on the scientific rigor of the FDA in terms of evaluating the safety of food ingredients and additives.”