West Virginia’s 240,000 public-school students returned Aug. 1 to cafeterias stripped of the seven synthetic dyes long common in Jell-O cups, flavored yogurts, and chips after a new state law kicked in.
Jonel Aleccia reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
- School nutrition directors had just four months to comb through purchasing lists and drop any item containing Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, or Green 3.
- Products as varied as pickles, salad dressing, and Cool Ranch Doritos turned up on the removal list, pushing suppliers to reformulate or find natural colorings such as beet juice or turmeric.
- The state intends to extend the ban, plus two preservatives, to all retail food in 2028, part of a wider push championed by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration chief Marty Makary.
Key quote:
“By eliminating harmful chemicals from our food, we’re taking steps toward improving the health of our residents and protecting our children from significant long-term health and learning challenges."
— Patrick Morrisey, governor of West Virginia
Why this matters:
A 2021 review by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment tied common dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 5 to heightened hyperactivity in some kids, prompting fresh calls for precaution. While the FDA still deems the colors safe at approved levels, Europe already requires warning labels, and many multinational brands sell dye-free versions abroad. Schools feed millions of children who rely on subsidized meals, so converting cafeterias to natural colors could reduce daily exposures and nudge manufacturers to reformulate products sold nationwide, influencing public health far beyond West Virginia.
Related: West Virginia Senate votes to ban artificial food dyes
