Florida Moves to Ban Harmful Food Additives by 2028 with New Legislative Proposal

Florida is on track to potentially ban several chemical additives in food products by 2028, following a new bill introduced by Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) on Monday. The legislation, known as SB 560, aims to prohibit food establishments from manufacturing, selling, or distributing items that contain specific harmful substances.

The proposed ban includes additives such as brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye 3, blue dye 1, yellow dye 5, benzidine, butylated hydroxyanisole, and butylated hydroxytoluene. These chemicals have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, prompting legislators to take action.

“Some chemicals cause cancer,” Martin stated in a post on X. “They have no place in our food. Period.” Under the new regulations, violators could face fines of up to $5,000 for a first offense and $10,000 for subsequent violations.

If the bill passes the legislative process and is signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the ban will take effect on January 1, 2028. Notably, brominated vegetable oil, previously used in fruit-flavored drinks to prevent the citrus flavor from separating, was banned by the FDA as of July 3, 2024. Many manufacturers have already reformulated their products to eliminate this additive.

The FDA has also recently prohibited the use of red dye 3, further highlighting the growing concern over food safety and health risks associated with chemical additives.