Michigan lawmakers want to ban synthetic dyes, additives in school meals

• Michigan House Bill 4369 would prohibit school meals from containing eight artificial additives common in ultraprocessed foods 
• This is part of a broader federal push from conservatives to ban synthetic dyes under the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement
• The ingredients are in brightly colored foods marketed to children such as cereals, sugary drinks, processed snacks, candy and baked goods

Should ultraprocessed foods be in Michigan’s school lunches? Some lawmakers say no, and are moving to ban a list of synthetic ingredients from schools. 

House Bill 4369, introduced by State Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles, would prohibit food distributors from providing schools with food that contain certain additives. The list of banned ingredients includes brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and five synthetic dyes. 

The bill comes after US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in April the HHS and FDA would phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes as part of the Make America Healthy Again movement. A similar federal bill banning 11 dyes and additives in ultraprocessed foods was introduced by US Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, in April.

Foods with these ingredients are commonly marketed to children, Paquette told Bridge Michigan, and could potentially be linked to ADHD diagnoses. 

“A lot of these ingredients are in foods that target children, especially when you're talking about the synthetic dyes,” Paquette said. “If children are eating Froot Loops and Pop-Tarts and candies that have all these synthetic dyes in them, and these could be contributing to these diagnoses, then that's one of the sources. Especially when we're talking about taxpayer funded foods in schools, let's make sure that they're getting access to nutritious colorings that could be used.” 

Should the bill fail to pass a divided Michigan Legislature, Republicans are also trying their hand at removing dyes via the School Aid budget. Introduced and already sent to the House Floor on Wednesday, the House Republican plan would withhold state aid payments from schools should they use Red 40, Blue 1 and 2, Green 3 or Yellow 6 in any of their meals.

Health concerns

In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration said most children aren’t affected by color additives. But dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 6 are known to be cancer causing, and some studies have shown links between synthetic dyes and neurobehavioral issues in children, although research is limited. These dyes, in addition to ingredients like titanium dioxide and potassium bromate, are banned in Europe. 

Liana Werner-Gray, a nutritionist and author of “The Earth Diet,” testified in favor of the bill on May 21. Werner-Gray said the substances are linked to cancer and neurobehavioral issues and should not be available to children.

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“As someone who plans to raise children here, I can tell you with full conviction: I will not be putting my kids into a school system that allows these harmful substances to be served as food,” Werner-Gray said. “Because this isn’t just poor nutrition. It’s poison. It’s harming our children’s minds, bodies and futures.” 

The bill could create costs for the state, according to an analysis from the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency. It could cost schools more if they aren’t able to find alternatives at a comparable cost, or if retailers hike up prices when they’re forced to find more expensive natural alternatives. 

Even though the bill was modified Wednesday to prohibit food distributors from supplying certain foods to schools in the first place instead of restricting the schools themselves, School Nutrition Association of Michigan’s president June Altom said the switch to natural ingredients may still cost schools more.

“Like every other consumer, if there is a cost to changing manufacturing processes … those items might cost a couple more cents per individual serving,” Altom told Bridge Michigan. “Whether it's because they've got to reformulate their line, or just the testing of reformulating products from the artificial dye to the natural dye.” 

In the May 21 committee meeting, State Rep. Erin Byrnes, D-Dearborn, raised concerns that some school districts may not be able to afford the increased costs for natural alternatives. 

“We need to have a better understanding of what those overall costs are and have a commitment to make sure we’re actually giving districts the resources that they need in order to be able to afford these things,” Byrnes said. “Because otherwise, we have universal meals, but if we’re putting restrictions in place where districts can’t afford to feed every kid, then there are going to be kids that are going hungry.”

“One of the things and concerns that my friends on the other side of the aisle have brought up that we're sympathetic to are the food deserts and the different ways that Detroit in particular (has) access to healthy foods,” Paquette told Bridge Michigan. “This is something that we need to be sympathetic to, and we need to address the problem because nourishing our most vulnerable young people is the most important aspect.” 

The Michigan Department of Education has not taken a position on the bill, according to MDE spokesperson Ken Coleman.