The Illinois Senate has passed a bill banning several food additives found in certain candies and sodas, sending the measure to the House.
According to a press release from State Sen. Willie Preston, the Illinois Food Safety Act would ban a quartet of food additives, including brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye no. 3.
“This legislation, in its simplest form, increases food safety for Illinoisans,” Preston said in a statement. “These substances have been used in food for decades, and new evidence shows they can pose serious threats to our health and to the health of our kids.”
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is among those expressing support for the bill.
“This legislation does not seek to ban any products or take away any of our favorite foods,” Preston said. “This measure sets a precedent for consumer health and safety to encourage food manufacturers to update their recipes to use safer alternative ingredients.”
California passed similar …