California is the first state in the US to outlaw 4 potentially dangerous substances in food

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a landmark law banning red dye No. 3 and other harmful food additives in consumer goods.

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization that cosponsored the law with Consumer Reports, said California became the first state to ban the ingredients in many popular candies, drinks, and more on Saturday.

Assembly Bill 418, introduced by Assemblymembers Jesse Gabriel and Buffy Wicks in February, bans red dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propylparaben in food products in California.

Baked goods are strengthened and rise higher with potassium bromate. Emulsifying citrus flavoring with brominated vegetable oil prevents separation in some beverages. Food preservation with propylparabens is antimicrobial.

Gabriel's March news release stated that Newsom's move brings the US closer to the EU's ban on these chemicals "due to scientific studies that have demonstrated significant public health harms, including increased risk of cancer, behavioral issues in children, harm to the reproductive system, and damage to the immune system."

Newsom said the bill will give brands “significant time to revise their recipes to avoid these harmful chemicals” until 2027. “With greater confidence in the safety of such products,” Californians can still enjoy their favorite foods.

According to the Washington, DC-based National Confectioners Association, “Newsom’s approval of this bill will undermine consumer confidence and create confusion around food safety” by acting independently of the FDA. It urged the FDA to weigh in.

The Generally Recognized as Safe, or GRAS, rule in the FDA's Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act allows manufacturers to use these chemicals in foods in the US.

With California's large economy, “this groundbreaking law may affect food across the country, not just in California, so all Americans will likely benefit from the ban,” Consumer Reports stated. Manufacturers are unlikely to make two versions of their product for California and the rest of the country.