Left image via Associated Press //
Dangerous day to be a delicious candy whose best flavour is orange…
In the latest instance of the US state of California being totally, the City of Angels has announced a sweeping ban on Skittles and a bunch of other lollies currently sold on its glitzy, albeit slightly dirty, streets. The move has been masterminded by the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, who rose to prominence for his various COVID-19 policies during the pandemic.
Titled ‘The California Food Safety Act’, the government will seek to address public health concerns associated with certain food additives found in numerous confectionaries. Specifically, food products that contain substances like brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3.
To put things in perspective, red dye 3 is found in other lollies such as PEZ and Double Bubble Gum, while Brominated vegetable oil is found in most citrus soft drinks and processed foods. Now, from January 1st 2027, both will be totally illegal, with the policy stating that no-one is allowed to “Manufacture, sell, deliver, distribute, hold, or offer for sale any food product intended for human consumption that contains these specified substances.” Still, somehow cigarettes, one of the highest causes of preventable deaths in the world, is still freely available to purchase (logic out of 10?).
The fines are pretty hefty should you choose to take your chances, with a first offence being punishable by a $5000 USD fine, with subsequent offences being punishable by $10,000 USD.
It might seem like this is coming out of nowhere to us Aussies, but it turns out the chemicals listed above have been linked to some pretty shocking ailments, such as mood disorders, disease and cancer. To top things off, Skittles and its tribe of delicious, yet life-threatening lolly counterparts, have already been banned in a bunch of European countries, so it seems like this has been coming for quite some time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv_WBcBZUDw
No word yet on whether they’ll be outlawed Down Under any time soon. But rest assured, I’ll be stocking up on those bad boys until kingdom come.
