EXCLUSIVE: Pennsylvania moves toward its own “Skittles ban” after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bill banning cancer-causing ingredients in food

Another US state is considering banning cancer-causing food additives as pressure mounts on food companies to clean up their recipes.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Natalie Mihalek plans to introduce a bill early next year that would ban four food additives in products sold in the state.

Lwant to ban awmakers brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye #3, which have been linked to cancer, chronic disease and heart problems.

Representative Mihalek told DailyMail.com that the proposal could be expanded to include other food additives after meetings with stakeholders, although she did not specify which ones.

Pennsylvania’s bill follows a similar bill California, that forbidden the four food additives subject to the Skittles ban earlier this year and New York having regard to similar legislation.

However, manufacturers who use these ingredients in popular foods are hitting back, saying they are “undermining” consumer confidence and causing “confusion” about food safety.

The Pennsylvania ban will affect additives in most of the foods listed above. Skittles was previously hit by the ban in California, but at the last minute, lawmakers removed the titanium dioxide used for color – found in Skittles’ formula

While the European Union banned these additives decades ago because they were linked to a range of health problems, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates food, has been accused of “dropping the ball” on the issue “to to have”.

Now, however, the agency has proposed a ban on brominated vegetable oil, but has yet to address the other three additives banned in the California bill.

Researchers at Consumer Reports — a nonprofit organization instrumental in making American food safer — say not enough has been done and are calling on the FDA to follow states’ lead when it comes to food safety.

Rep. Mihalek said she was inspired to file the ban out of concern for her three children

Republican Rep. Mihalek told DailyMail.com that she had already circulated a memo — a written communication to introduce legislative proposals — to colleagues in Pennsylvania.

A trial is scheduled for early next year, she said. After that, she will consider introducing a bill that would ban at least four food additives in the state.

However, it is a long process before the bill comes into effect.

It must first pass a committee and then be voted on in both the House and Senate and then signed by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro before it can become law.

In California, it took nine months for the Skittles ban bill to reach the governor’s signature and take effect.

During this time, titanium dioxide, which was added to food due to its color, was removed from the list of prohibited food additives.

The substance used in “Skittles” and behind the ban’s name was removed after support from food companies who insisted the additive was essential to candied cherries.

Rep. Mihalek said she was inspired to ask for a change in the law by her three children, ages 12, 10 and seven, because she was concerned about what they were putting into their bodies.

She told DailyMail.com: “It’s a very organic law.”

“I have three children and am a working mother. That’s why we try to pay attention to what our children put in their bodies.

“But there’s a whole lot of research on these harmful additives we’re putting in our bodies.

“In addition, hyperactivity, ADHD and hormone problems are increasingly being diagnosed.”

She said the opposition in Pennsylvania had already tried to fight the ban and argued it should be considered at the federal level.

But the federal government is often mired in delays and disagreements over funding and enforcement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed in a letter that he signed the law earlier this year. This makes California the first US state to ban four food additives. He included a bag of Skittles from the European Union in his letter and said it was proof that companies can change their recipes

In the memo, Rep. Mihalek wrote: “As a mother of three young children, I do everything I can to ensure that my children receive the nutrition they need to learn and grow.”

“When we buy products for children from trusted sources, we assume that they are safe for our children to use.

“The more food labels I read, [however]The more I realize that’s not the case.’

FDA Recommends Ban on Toxic Food Additive “Brominated Vegetable Oil”.

A toxic food additive used in dozens of soft drinks could be banned under a new proposal.

The proposed ban includes the food coloring Red No. 3 in. Research has shown that this substance causes cancer in laboratory animals when exposed to very high doses. It is also linked to behavioral problems in children.

The United States banned it in cosmetic products in the 1990s, but its use is still allowed in many foods sold in the United States.

Another 2016 study found that the food coloring is in more than one in 10 candies in the US and that more than 80 percent of children under the age of two had consumed the food coloring in the previous two weeks.

Another substance is brominated vegetable oil, which is made from plants and used for citrus flavors. Research has shown that long-term exposure damages the body’s nervous system.

It is also linked to chronic headaches, memory loss and imbalance. The additive is still used in a number of soft drinks, including Sun Drop and many cheap soft drinks sold in supermarkets.

Propylparaben, commonly used as a preservative in baked goods, has been linked to fertility problems in mice by disrupting estrogen levels in women and reducing sperm counts in men.

Finally, potassium bromate is also found in many baked and processed foods. The ingredient makes the dough rise, but has been linked to the development of thyroid and kidney cancer.

Industry stakeholders previously pushed back against California’s ban, saying the bill prevailed because the safety of the additives had already been assessed against a number of existing measures.

The National Confectioners Association (NCA), which represents manufacturers, said: “California is once again making decisions based on good facts rather than science.”

“Governor Newsom’s passage of this law will undermine consumer confidence and create confusion about food safety.”