Proposed Senate Bill 4 seeks to ban unhealthy dyes in Oklahoma groceries

Grocery store shelves could begin to look a little different if Senate Bill 4, which seeks to ban harmful food dyes, passes.  

Senator Kristen Thompson is pushing to ensure healthier and safer food items on shelves.  

Eliminating harmful dyes from your basket is almost impossible. 

“It's everywhere," Thompson said. "It is not just in our food, it's in our processed meat products. It is in beverages. It is in medication,” 

She said people are paying attention and using Google to find out what is in their food.  

“I've been eating whole foods since probably 2015,” said Debbie Cook, a shopper at Urban Agrarian in Southwest Oklahoma City.  

Thompson said that dyes are a health issue for all Oklahomans.  

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), color additives are used to provide color to colorless foods.

Senate Bill 4 will prevent the selling, manufacturing, and distribution of ten different dyes and substances including red, green, and yellow.

Co-owner of Urban Agrarian Chelsey Simpson said that the market has focused on local and whole foods.  

She added that the majority of those products do not contain dye.  

“It's intentional that we don't have a lot of dyes, but it's not because we're focusing on dye, it's because we're focusing on local foods and foods that are whole and not as processed," Simpson said. 

FDA regulations require evidence that a color additive is safe at its intended level. 

The CDC said these dyes can have harmful effects like behavioral changes and damage to DNA.  

“So maybe the appropriate thing to do is manufacturers cannot put these in their foods after expiration dates based off of what a shelf life is,” added Thompson.