SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Legislation banning certain potentially harmful chemical food additives in Illinois is one step closer to becoming law.

The state Senate Public Health Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill banning brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and Red Dye No. 3 in foods sold in the state beginning in 2027. They’re commonly found in candies, soda and other ultra-processed food.

The bill initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. He said his passion for the issue comes as the head of the state’s organ and tissue donor network.

The bill’s Senate sponsor, state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, said these additives can lead to serious health problems.

“All of these food additives have been linked to serious health risks, behavior issues in children, cancer, thyroid issues, and this is impacting all of us,” he said.

Preston said he plans to amend the bill to add titanium dioxide to the ban.

The Illinois Manufacturer’s Association is one of the organizations opposing the legislation. Its Vice President of Government Affairs, Donovan Griffith, argued the FDA says the chemicals are safe. He also believes states regulating them on a peace-meal basis would create chaos.

“The FDA requires evidence that each food additive is safe at its intended level of use before it may be added to food,” he said. “There are rigorous testing and safety assessments that take place before an additive can be added to food.”

The bill is patterned off similar legislation passed in California banning these additives in 2027. The European Union also banned these additives.

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