State Senator Willie Preston introduced new legislation to ban chemicals in candy, soda, and other food items sold and produced in Illinois that have been shown to be harmful.

State Senator Preston says that the legislation will increase food safety for Illinoisans.  He believes new evidence shows that these substances have shown serious threats to health and the health of children in Illinois. 

Senate Bill 2637 – the Illinois Food Safety Act – will ban specific, dangerous food additives from being used in the manufacturing, delivering, distributing, holding, or selling of food products. These additives include brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye no. 3.

Preston joined Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, State Representative Anne Stava-Murray, and advocates at the Healthy Lifestyle Hub to announce the initiation of the Illinois Food Safety Act and emphasize the legislation’s intent. As a father of six, Preston stressed that the legislation prioritizes children, who face heightened risks from these chemicals due to their developing bodies and increased consumption of these types of food products. 

Preston stressed that Illinois families deserve to have access to healthy food options and that legislation will set a precedent for consumer health and safety to encourage food manufacturers to update recipes to use safer alternative ingredients. 

Preston intends to work alongside his colleagues this legislative season to include additional additives like titanium dioxide. Additionally, his proposed legislation will call for studies on the potential health risk of BHA and BHT.