Candy companies will be forced to change their recipes within 3 years in California or face fines of up to $10,000 after a new bill passed banning popular additives that have been linked to cancer, disease and mood disorders. The 4 newly-banned additives are brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and Red Dye No. 3. Foods that are on the chopping block include Peeps, Skittles, Pez, Sun Drop Soda, Hot Tamales Candy, Mountain Lightning, Strawberry Yoo-Hoo, Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies, Little Debbie Little Bites, and Brach’s Candy Corn. The ban will come into force in January 2027. The National Confectioners Association — which represents candy companies — challenges the ban, claiming that the government is making decisions based on soundbites rather than science, warning that the confusing move threatens to raise food prices. New York is following California's lead, and it's expected that more states will follow.
