By Maggie Susa, HD Media
Union leaders are bracing for layoffs following a newly passed ban on food dyes in West Virginia.
House Bill 2354, prohibiting certain food dyes from being used as an ingredient in school lunches and in food items sold in West Virginia, was passed by the state Legislature last month and signed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey on March 24.
“We should not be forced to police our own foods,” said Republican Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, who heads the Senate’s health committee and told lawmakers the vote might be the most important of their political careers. “No more toxic colors, no more poisoning ourselves and our children. No more unnecessary risks. Our health is not for sale.”
Public health advocates have been lobbying for state and federal action against artificial food dye for years, pointing to research that links the coloring and other chemical additives to health risks, including exacerbating symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in some children and animal research linking certain additives to cancers.
