State Representative Brad Paquette has introduced legislation in the Michigan House prohibiting schools from serving foods containing certain unnatural ingredients.
House Bill 4369 lays out a list of nine food additives that could not be part of school lunches. Paquette testified before the Education and Workforce Committee this week that taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to give chemicals to kids.
“There’s a movement right now that’s occurring of Americans looking at what is actually in our food,” Paquette said. “Is it actually food? And with this bill, it targets taxpayer-funded meals and also food that’s provided at schools to be food. It makes that requirement.”
Paquette has advocated for natural ingredients in food, taking part in a protest over certain dyes used in Kellogg breakfast cereals last year. He says some of these substances only stunt the development of kids and lead to behavioral problems.
The bill just received its committee hearing. If passed, it would take effect in July of next year. Among the substances it would ban from school meals are titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and Red 40.