California became the first state in the nation to prohibit four food additives found in popular cereal, soda, candy and drinks after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a ban on them Saturday.

The California Food Safety Act will ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3 — potentially affecting 12,000 products that use those substances, according to the Environmental Working Group.

The legislation was popularly known as the “Skittles ban” because an earlier version also targeted titanium dioxide, used as a coloring agent in candies including Skittles, Starburst and Sour Patch Kids, according to the Environmental Working Group. But the measure, Assembly Bill 418, was amended in September to remove mention of the substance.

  • shootwhatsmyname@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    For anyone interested in trying to avoid bad stuff, there’s this free app called Yuka I’ve been using for a year or so now where you can scan foods and other products and it gives them a score and a comprehensive breakdown of the additives and overall health of the food with linked sources.

    • ryry1985@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I have this app too. It’s depressing how many foods I actually enjoy have additives in them.

      • Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        All processed foods have additives for taste, shelf life or looks. Even if they aren’t listed on the ingredient breakdown because they are classified as “manufacturing aids”, a loop hole that the food industry created for themselves.

      • shootwhatsmyname@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Yeah seriously, it’s a similar feeling when I realize yet another brand is now owned by Nestle

      • shootwhatsmyname@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Consider the resources it takes to maintain, update, and query a large amount data, the $99 yearly app store fee, development of the app, and plain usefulness of it. That seems pretty generous to me, especially with how much is free to use.