State food-additive law
California food-additive rules
California has enacted 8 food-additive regulations - here is exactly what is banned, what is under review, and how it compares with FDA policy.
- 8
- additives regulated
- 4
- banned outright
- 4
- restricted / under review
California has enacted 8 food-additive regulations: 4 outright bans and 4 restrictions under review. It ranks 1st of 10 U.S. states by regulatory count.
- Ranked 1 of 10 U.S. states by additive regulations
The verdict
California bans 4 food additives that the FDA has also banned nationally, with 4 more under restriction or review.
- 8
- total additives acted on
- 4
- outright bans
- 4
- warnings / under review
- Brominated Vegetable Oil
- first additive banned
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Substances Added to Food inventory, more than 4,000 substances hold active federal regulatory status as of May 2026, the same federal baseline every state comparison on this page measures against. See our methodology for how state and federal actions are compared and cross-referenced.
How California compares
Number of food-additive regulations on the books, across every state that has enacted one.
State food-additive regulations
California leads all 10 acting states with 8 food-additive laws, ahead of New York's 5. Only 10 of 50 states have enacted any food-additive regulation at all; the rest are governed solely by federal FDA status.
Banned Ingredients (4)
| Ingredient | Safety | Effective Date | Bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brominated Vegetable Oil | 1 | 2027-01-01 | AB 418 |
| Potassium Bromate | 1 | 2027-01-01 | AB 418 |
| Propylparaben | 1 | 2027-01-01 | AB 418 |
| Red 3 (Erythrosine) | 1 | 2027-01-01 | AB 418 |
Proposed / Under Review (4)
| Ingredient | Status | Safety | Bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red 40 (Allura Red) | Warning Required | 2 | AB 2316 |
| Titanium Dioxide | Under Review | 2 | AB 2316 |
| Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | Warning Required | 2 | AB 2316 |
| Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow) | Warning Required | 2 | AB 2316 |
Other States with Food Safety Laws
Ranked by number of food-additive regulations, same national list California appears in above.
Using California's additive rules
State law can be stricter than the FDA, check both before you assume an additive is fine.
- Open any banned additive to see its full FDA, EU and scientific record. Browse additives
- See which additives the most states have moved to ban. View rankings
- Scan a product label to flag restricted additives at once. Label checker
State regulation reflects a policy judgment, not a medical determination. Effective dates and scope vary by bill.
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.