A pair of New Jersey state senators, one Democrat and one Republican, are crossing the aisle to take on common foes: food dyes and additives.
NJ Spotlight News reported on the bipartisan effort by Andrew Zwicker (D-Mercer) and Mike Testa (R-Cumberland) to ban four additives and dyes, including brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red No. 3.
"This didn't really break partisan lines," Zwicker told NJ Spotlight News. "Protecting children and families is something we should be able to come together on."
Testa concurred with his counterpart, declaring that the issue of food safety was "nonpartisan."
The duo unveiled the initiative in a video posted to Instagram, revealing that Republicans and Democrats strongly agree on restricting food dyes. The two called their work together "collaboration at its best."
While New Jersey is taking action, federally, there has been movement on these additives. Still, the U.S. is well behind places like Europe in taking action to protect against the risks of food dyes.
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One of the substances, Red No. 3, became illegal in U.S. food products after the FDA removed it from approved lists, citing health concerns, including potential links to cancer. BVO was similarly banned in 2024, but at least one lawsuit claims that hasn't stopped its use entirely, as Law360 reported.
Another substance, potassium bromate, is banned in the European Union for its links to cancer but finds its way into American baked goods. That is also the case for propylparaben, which researchers say could be linked to hormone disruption and other health issues.
The bill allows for a transition period for producers to adapt, encouraging a shift towards healthier, non-toxic alternatives. The bill also aligns with other states like California that have taken a more aggressive stance toward food dyes.
Commenters on the Instagram post largely supported the move but wanted even more work to be done on potentially dangerous substances.
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Yes 👍 One called it a "good first step" before adding, "You know it would be a great second step? Sourcing school lunches locally from some of New Jersey's 10,000 farms."
Another used the raised-hands emoji before asking, "Can we work on forever chemicals about to [be] allowed in our food?"
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