MENG INTRODUCES LEGISLATION BANNING HARMFUL FOOD DYES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, announced today the introduction of her Ban Harmful Food Dyes Act. This legislation would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban harmful dyes and petroleum-based additives that have no place in our food.
The bill was introduced following action by at least 21 states seeking to address food dyes and chemicals of concern, and the announcement of a voluntary measure earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from the nation’s food supply. However, the Administration’s voluntary initiative fails to enforce the phaseout and fails to ban other harmful food additives, such as Titanium Dioxide. Titanium Dioxide has been scientifically demonstrated to be harmful to human health. The Ban Harmful Food Dyes Act continues that momentum and also includes a statutory ban on Red Dye 3, which was previously banned through regulation, but not through law.
The full list of dyes that would be banned under Meng’s bill include:
- Red No. 40
- Red No. 3
- Yellow No. 5
- Yellow No. 6
- Blue No. 1
- Blue No. 2
- Green No. 3
- Orange B
- Citrus Red 2
- Titanium Dioxide
- Any additive that is substantially similar to those above
“Food additives with links to cancer and negative impacts on children’s health and development, including synthetic, petroleum-based dyes, do not belong in our food,” said Congresswoman Meng. “If the science says they aren’t safe, our government shouldn’t be allowing companies to use them in the first place. While efforts have been made by current and previous administrations to eliminate these chemicals from our food, there is no law banning their use. My Ban Harmful Food Dyes Act will do just that. Food safety should be a bipartisan issue, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver this commonsense bill to the President’s desk.”
Last year, Meng joined an effort alongside 22 lawmakers to successfully push the FDA to issue a regulation banning Red 3, which has been scientifically shown to cause cancer in animals. Titanium Dioxide, often used as a whitening agent, has been fully banned as a food additive in the European Union since 2022 due to concerns it can damage DNA or chromosomes, yet it continues to be used in foods sold across the United States.
Meng’s legislation is supported by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Consumer Reports. Now introduced in the House, the bill must be approved by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce before it can be brought to the floor for a vote.
Meng has long supported efforts to remove harmful dyes and additives from the food families eat every day. Meng is also an original sponsor of The Food Chemical Reassessment Act of 2025, which would require the Federal Government conduct regular studies on chemical additives in food to verify their safety. She is also a cosponsor of the Do or Dye Act, which also aims to ban a range of harmful food dyes.
A copy of the bill can be viewed here.