FL Senator Seeks To Ban 9 Food Additives, Cites Cancer Risks

FLORIDA — A Florida lawmaker is seeking to ban the usage of nine chemical additives in food, citing potential cancer risks.

Florida Sen. Jonathan Martin filed Senate Bill 560 on Monday.

If passed, SB 560 would prevent food establishments from manufacturing, selling or distributing food items with the following additives: brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, Red Dye 3, Blue Dye 1, Yellow Dye 5, benzidine, butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene.

"Some chemicals cause cancer," Martin tweeted Monday. "They have no place in our food. Period."

If enacted, violators of SB 560 could be subject to fines, according to the bill.

The measure comes nearly a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Red Dye 3 in mid-January, citing the cancer risks. The dye was already prohibited from being used in cosmetics.

Recipes for certain candies, jellies, condiments, drinks, cheese, flavored milk and canned fruit could be affected if Blue Dye 1 and Yellow Dye 3 are forbidden from being used.

Some color dyes are formed with benzidine, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Brominated vegetable oil can be found in citrus-flavored soda, citrus-flavored sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit-flavored syrups and baked goods, according to Michigan State University's Center for Research on Ingredient Safety.

Starches, proteins and lipids contain potassium bromate, which the center said betters the quality of bread and baked goods.

Banning butylated hydroxyanisole could impact common household foods, such as butter, lard, meats, cereals, baked goods, sweets, beer, vegetable oils, potato chips, snack foods, nuts and nut products, dehydrated potatoes and flavoring agents.

WebMD reported butylated hydroxytoluene is not only a lab-made food additive but is also used for medicinal purposes, such as treating genital herpes and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Aside from food, propylparaben can also be found in water-based cosmetics like creams and shampoos, according to the National Library of Medicine.