Skittles spared from California ban on certain food chemicals

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION-TV)- Assembly Bill 418, which would prohibit certain additives used in processed food passed the California legislature on Tuesday. The bill was labeled the "Skittles ban" for an additive that was listed in a previous iteration of the bill, that has since been dropped from the ban list.

AB 418 would now ban the manufacture and sale of products containing Red Dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, or propylparaben. These chemicals have already been outlawed in 27 nations in the European Union, according to the bill’s author, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino).

Titanium dioxide was on the banned list until this current iteration of the bill. This chemical is found in Skittles and was part of a lawsuit last year claiming Skittles were unsafe for human consumption.

Gabriel said there was enough support to advance the bill as originally drafted, but said the fifth chemical was dropped to obtain more widespread bipartisan support.