Locke Lord Chicago Partner David Abramowitz Quoted by The Guardian on Proposed Ban on Additives in California School Lunches

David Abramowitz, a Chicago Partner in Locke Lord’s IP Pharmaceutical Practice Group and Co-Chair of the Firm’s FDA Regulatory Group, was quoted by The Guardian about California’s proposed Assembly Bill 2316, which would ban certain food additives in school meals if passed. The first-of-its-kind bill would ban seven additives from the foods that are served in California’s public schools and would prohibit school cafeterias from offering foods containing six artificial food dyes that have been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral issues in some children.

Abramowitz pointed out, “This is an interesting situation where California is proposing to regulate food additives that the FDA has approved as safe and appropriate.” Abramowitz then added, “That does bring in questions of whether California might be pre-empted from such things.”

The proposed bill comes on the heels of the successful passage of the California Food Safety Act (CFSA), a separate piece of legislation that banned four common additives: red 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propyl paraben. Abramowitz explained in a recent Locke Lord client alert the potential legal ramifications CFSA may bring for the food industry, particularly those who manufacture, supply and distribute sodas, cereals, snack foods, candy and drinks.

Read the full Guardian article.

Read Abramowitz’s co-authored article on the California Food Safety Act.