This story has been corrected to include West Virginia's recent ban of Red Dye 40.
The Delaware General Assembly passes a bill that would ban schools from selling or serving food with Red Dye 40, including products within vending machines and a la carte options.
Popular food products that contain Red Dye 40 include Gatorade, Doritos, Pop Tarts, and various types of soda and cereals.
Red Dye No. 3 was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at the beginning of this year, but Delaware would join California, and just recently West Virginia who's prohibition starts on August 1, in banning Red 40 if Gov. Matt Meyer signs it into law.
The bill’s house sponsor State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Millsboro) explains the dye is derived from petroleum and contains trace amounts of benzene, a known carcinogen.
“While the FDA has not banned it, other countries have taken precautionary measures to restrict artificial food dyes due to their potential risks. Canada and the European Union are contained in that," he said.
If signed into law, Delaware schools will have one year to phase out Red Dye 40, but the bill’s drafting attorney says many schools had already begun that process prior to the legislation’s inception.
At least six other states have introduced similar bills.
