CSPI, Advocates, and Lawmakers Rally for Food Safety Legislation While Washington Flatlines

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ALBANY, NY (05/06/2025) (readMedia)-- With the FDA gutting critical food safety programs and falling short on meaningful regulation - including a weak "understanding" with industry to phase out synthetic food dyes - advocates and lawmakers will rally at the State Capitol to urge passage of a slate of crucial state legislation that will put New Yorkers' health first.

During the event, a display of junk food and deceptively marketed "health-washed" products will highlight the types of products that would be impacted by stronger consumer protections.

Key bills include:

• Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act (S1239B/A1556B Kavanagh/Kelles) which will prohibit synthetic dyes in school foods, ban three dangerous food chemicals in foods sold statewide, and require companies to disclose evidence that their ingredients are actually safe to eat
• Predatory Marketing Prevention Act (S397/A2584 Myrie/Reyes) which will restrict misleading targeted food and beverage marketing aimed at children and adolescents
• Sodium Warning Bill (S428/A5207 Rivera/Reyes) which will require clear sodium warning icons on chain restaurant menus to ensure transparency and help consumers make informed choices

Major food and beverage companies spend billions annually on aggressive marketing, often targeting children and communities of color. These same communities frequently have a higher concentration of fast-food restaurants, whose menu items contain dangerously high levels of sodium-linked to stroke, hypertension, and heart disease, some of New York's leading causes of death. Additionally, a federal loophole allows companies to sneak chemicals and other ingredients into their products without adequate FDA oversight, further endangering public health.