Indiana is one step closer to banning certain food additives and preservatives from school lunches.
The House passed a bill Jan. 22 to crack down on ultra-processed foods served by public and charter schools that accept federal funding for meals ― a move that falls in line with efforts churning within President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, though the bill’s author expressed impatience with the speed of those efforts.
“We cannot wait for the federal government to act,” state Rep. Julie McGuire, R-Indianapolis, told her colleagues on the House floor. “Our children are paying the price.”
House Bill 1137 lists about a dozen food dyes and additives that such schools can’t allow to be served, either in-house or by a third-party vendor, to their students, starting with the 2027 school years. It would also require schools to post their breakfast and lunch menus online, along with a list of ingredients in each meal.
Those 13 chemicals are the most “egregious” ingredients, McGuire said, including things like red dye 40 and Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT. There’s a link between synthetic food dyes and worsening behavioral issues in children, including hyperactivity, attention issues and brain function, according to the National Institutes of Health.
A fourth grade student at Cherry Tree Elementary school in Carmel, Michael Flittner, who says he has an ADHD diagnosis, attested to this before the House education committee earlier this month.
“I’ve noticed when I eat or drink something with artificial dye, especially red 40, I get super hyped up and get in trouble,” he said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cites studies showing that 70% of the American food supply is considered ultra-processed, and more than 60% of the calories children consume come from these foods. Reliance on ultra-processed foods is associated with negative outcomes like diabetes and obesity.
And yet there is not a uniform federal definition for “ultra-processed.” The Trump administration announced in July that it is working to collect data to develop such a definition.
An effort to beat the federal government to the punch is underway in several states: a handful have passed laws already, and dozens have introduced bills to ban such chemicals in school lunches and in some cases, all food.
For many families, schools are the primary source of their children’s nutrition. McGuire said she views this as a prevention bill: helping students eat healthier could help their performance in school, leading to dividends down the road.
The bill wouldn’t apply to vending machines, or to events that occur on school property after the school day ends.
The bill passed the house overwhelmingly, with an 83-7 vote, and now heads to the Senate.
Contact IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X@kayla_dwyer17.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Unsatisfied with pace of Trump’s MAHA, Indiana House votes to ban food additives in schools
Reporting by Kayla Dwyer, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
