California ban on four food additives could spur wider action across US

The governor of California Gavin Newsom has signed into law the first ban in the US on brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and erythrosine in food uses. The new law, which goes into effect in January 2027, prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of food products that contain any of those four substances. Together, these additives have been associated with neurological problems, endocrine disruption, hyperactivity, and an increased risk of cancer. In Europe, all four are already banned from food, except for one specific use of erythrosine (commonly known as red dye 3), which is allowed in candied cherries.