State vs. federal regulation
The additives the most U.S. states have moved to ban
Across 25 state laws in 10 states, these are the food additives lawmakers have targeted most, often years ahead of, or in direct conflict with, the FDA's federal position.
- 8
- additives state-regulated
- 10
- states with their own laws
- 25
- state regulations tracked
- 10
- states act on Red 3
The verdict
Red 3 is the most state-regulated additive in the U.S. - 10 states have acted on it, and the FDA has now banned it too.
- Red 3
- most-regulated additive
- 10 states
- have acted on it
- 4
- still FDA-allowed but state-restricted
- 10
- states writing their own rules
Counts are rendered live from our state-legislation table, no estimates, no projections.
Ranked by number of states
How many distinct U.S. states have banned or restricted each additive.
Additives by number of states regulating them
State-action snapshot
The full ranking
| # | Additive | States | FDA status | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red 3 (Erythrosine) | 10 | Banned | 1/5 |
| 2 | Potassium Bromate | 4 | Banned | 1/5 |
| 3 | Brominated Vegetable Oil | 3 | Banned | 1/5 |
| 4 | Titanium Dioxide | 3 | Approved | 2/5 |
| 5 | Propylparaben | 2 | Banned | 1/5 |
| 6 | Red 40 (Allura Red) | 1 | Approved | 2/5 |
| 7 | Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | 1 | Approved | 2/5 |
| 8 | Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow) | 1 | Approved | 2/5 |
Source: PlainIngredients state-legislation table, compiled from primary state bills. State codes use standard USPS abbreviations.
How this ranking is built
According to our tracked state-legislation table, we count, per additive, the number of distinct U.S. states with a tracked law banning or restricting it in food. The table reflects 25 regulations across 10 states. Ties are broken alphabetically. Because states act independently, the same additive can be banned outright in one state and merely carry a warning requirement in another, both count as state action here. The list will grow as new state bills are signed.
Caveats
State laws vary in scope: some apply only to school food or specific product categories, and effective dates run from 2026 into 2028. This tracker covers the 10 states that have enacted additive-specific legislation; most states still defer to the FDA. State regulation does not by itself prove an additive is unsafe - it reflects a policy judgment that can differ from the federal one.
What this tells you
A state ban is a flag worth heeding, but read the additive's full record, not just the count.
- Start with Red 3, the most state-regulated additive on the list. See its record
- See how your own state compares on food-additive law. Browse states
- Scan a product label to flag any of these additives at once. Label checker
State regulation reflects policy, not a medical determination. Scores summarise regulatory status and published concerns only.
Every figure on PlainIngredients is rendered directly from FDA, EU, EFSA and U.S. state regulatory records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.