California Passes a Bill Banning 6 Food Dyes Linked to Behavioral Problems in Children

Lawmakers in California have passed a bill that will ban six chemicals from foods served in schools in the state. The bill, which is called the California School Food Safety Act, targets artificial dyes that have been linked to behavioral problems in children. 

This isn’t the first time state lawmakers have worked to ban certain artificial food dyes. More recently, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act, which forbids the sale of foods containing brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, or red dye 3 in the state. 

But which dyes are under fire with the latest bill and where do things stand? Here’s the deal. 

What is happening with this bill?

The California School Food Safety Act, aka Assembly Bill 2316, was originally drafted by state assemblymember Jesse Gabriel and has been through several amendments since March 2024. It passed the California Senate on August 28 and passed in the Assembly the next day. Now, the bill has been sent to Newsom for signing. 

What dyes are on the chopping block?

The bill is specifically focused on the use of certain artificial food dyes in schools. It prohibits state school districts and charter schools from offering foods or drinks that contain red dye No. 40, yellow dyes Nos. 5 and 6, blue dyes Nos. 1 and 2, and green dye No. 3 to children in grades kindergarten through 12th. These dyes often show up in foods like ice creams, drinks, candy, cheese-flavored chips, and certain cereals. Think: Cheetos, Fruity Pebbles, or Doritos.

“​​There are currently nine different color additives or ‘food dyes’ that are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in foods,” says Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D., a toxicologist at MedStar Health. “Three food dyes—red 40, yellow 5, and yellow 6—account for approximately 90% of all food dyes used in the United States.”

What are the potential side effects of these dyes?

A lot of the focus around potential side effects of these dyes is linked to behavioral issues in children. “The main concern is that consumption of these dyes in some children—not all—cause adverse neurobehavioral outcomes, such as ADHD and exacerbation of ADHD, in children,” says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “Some children are far more sensitive to these effects than others.”

There has been mixed data on these dyes, but a link has been established between them and behavioral problems in kids. A report published by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in 2021 concluded that data from human and animal studies found that synthetic food dyes are linked with hyperactivity and neurobehavioral problems in children. 

While some of the studies were observational, others included “challenge studies” where kids were asked to avoid dyes for a few weeks and then given products with dyes added to them. While not all children seemed to be influenced by the artificial colors, the researchers noted that some were more likely than others to act out after having them. This didn’t just happen once or twice: The majority of the studies analyzed (16 out of 25) found that there was some kind of association between kids who had the dyes and bad behavior. In more than half of the studies, that link was considered statistically significant. 

However, research into this is still ongoing, including how much of these dyes is too much. “Researchers have found that consumption of these dyes at ‘safe doses’ do cause neurobehavioral issues in some children,” Alan says. “Newer studies need to be conducted.” 

Ultimately, Alan says that the amount that’s considered safe really depends on the child. “Some children are very sensitive to the dyes and some are not,” she says. It’s important to point out that the dyes are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are in foods in acceptable daily intake levels, meaning it’s estimated that they can be eaten daily over a lifetime without presenting a risk to health. 

“The dose of food dyes required to cause actual human health problems remains unknown, and further research studies are needed to evaluate the relationships between food dyes and behavioral issues in children,” Johnson-Arbor says. “It is likely that occasional exposure to food dyes is not harmful for most children.”

Alan’s advice: If you’re concerned about the impact of these artificial dyes on your child, speak with their pediatrician. Newsom has until the end of September to decide whether to sign the bill.