Bill > SB791

This bill aims to prohibit six specific food dye additives (Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6) from being served in school meals within Hawaii's Department of Education and charter schools. The legislature's findings indicate that these food dyes are used to enhance food appearance but do not improve nutritional quality or food safety, and are potentially harmful, especially to adolescents. Drawing from research by the National Library of Medicine and following California's lead, the bill would add a new section to Hawaii's Revised Statutes that explicitly bans these six food dyes by their specific Chemical Abstracts Service numbers from being included in any school meal programs. The bill provides context that while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these color additives, scientific publications raise significant health concerns about their use. The proposed legislation would take effect on July 1, 2025, giving schools and food service providers time to adjust their meal preparation and ingredient selections to comply with the new restrictions.

Education

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=791&year=2026