What is the ‘Skittles Ban’? Candy at risk as California bans cancer-causing additives
Unsplash: Karsten WinegeartCalifornia just became the first state to ban cancer-causing food additives found in many popular candies — most notably, Skittles, as fans online fear what has been called the “Skittles Ban.”
Four popular additives that have been linked to cancer, disease, and mood disorders have now officially been banned in California, making it the first state to enforce these new food regulations.
The legislation, known as Assembly Bill 418 (AB 418) has been falsely dubbed online as the “Skittles ban”, and was signed on Saturday, October 7 by governor Gavin Newsom. The additives — brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye No.3. — are already banned in the European Union.
Now, companies using these ingredients in their products are facing a three-year countdown: change your recipe or face the consequences. And Skittles is up on the list.
The Democrat for Woodland Hills who proposed the bill was Jesse Gabriel. He said that the passing of the bill represented a “huge step in our effort to protect children and families in California from dangerous and toxic chemicals in our food supply.”
Despite the bill’s misleading online nickname, companies using the ingredients — including Skittles — aren’t actually going to be banned. Instead, they will be required to switch up their recipes or face fines of up to $10,000.
Gabriel said, “This bill will not ban any foods or products — it simply will require food companies to make minor modifications to their recipes and switch to safer alternative ingredients.”
The ban will not be enforced until 2027, giving plenty of time for recipes to be changed.
So, for anyone worried about losing their favorite candy, there doesn’t seem to be much to worry about. As one person wrote, “Skittles just needs [to] make minor modifications by then, like they already did in Europe.”
The banned chemicals can also be found in Nerds, Starburst, and many baked goods, all of which will have to make some changes before 2027 if they want to remain on the market.
