California’s proposal to prohibit Cheetos Flamin’ Hot treats and other snacks
A new bill seeks to ban Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, certain brands of cereal, and other snacks in California schools, due to the chemicals they contain.
California schools could ban Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, as well as other snacks containing artificial ingredients due to a new bill that was introduced in the state assembly. Free lunches are currently available to most students in kindergarten through 12th grade. These foods must meet certain quality standards, including those set for calories, sugar, and fats.
Although schools must abide by these rules when providing free meals to students, many institutions sell foods that are not suitable for children and can even cause severe illness.
For this reason, Democratic California State Representative Jesse Gabriel has presented the bill AB 2316, which prohibits foods that contain certain substances that could harm children, from being sold in public schools.
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What foods would be banned under the California legislation?
According to the measure, the foods that are included in the proposed ban are those that specifically have one of the seven artificial colors established in the bill, which are blue 1, blue 2, green 3, red 40, titanium dioxide, yellow 5 and yellow 6.
Foods that contain these types of substances include snacks such as Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos; cereals like Froot Loops and Fruity Pebbles; and candies like Jolly Rancher.
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Why are these food dyes harmful to health?
According to the National Library of Medicine of the National Institute of Health, these dyes are harmful to the health since there is evidence that several of them are carcinogenic, while others cause hypersensitivity.
“Three dyes (red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6) have been found to be contaminated with benzidine or other carcinogens. At least four dyes (blue 1, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6) cause hypersensitivity reactions. Numerous microbiological and rodent studies of yellow 5 gave positive results in terms of genotoxicity, which is the ability to damage genetic material,” explains the Institute.
Meanwhile, the FDA argues that there is no certainty in the risks of these dyes due to the limits of science, since the mere use of the substance is not enough to cause adverse effects. The agency says various factors need to be analyzed, such as the amount consumed and the long-term effects of these ingredients.
Advocates of the ban suggest that the makers of these products simply tweak their recipes to make the foods healthier and compliant with health standards.