West Virginia is banning certain food dyes.
Governor Patrick Morrisey has signed a bill making the Mountaineer State the first to ban red dye number 3.
Other banned dyes include:
Red Dye No. 40 Yellow Dye No. 5 Yellow Dye No. 6 Blue Dye No. 1 Blue Dye No. 2 Green Dye No. 3 On August 1, West Virginia will ban those food dyes from school meals.
On January 1, 2028, the dyes will be banned from all foods sold in West Virginia.
“West Virginia ranks at the bottom of many public health metrics, which is why there’s no better place to lead the Make America Healthy Again mission,” said Governor Morrisey. “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. Thank you to the Legislature, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, and the entire Trump Administration for helping us launch this movement right here in West Virginia.”
Critics argue the new law affect 60 percent of the foods in West Virginia grocery stores and lead to increased costs.
A decades old study reportedly led to the ban. But, the lead researcher of that study says the dye is safe and not toxic to humans, per an article in “Scientific American”.