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Remove Red 40 from public school food in TN
SB 0476 would require TN public schools to remove Red 40 from food served to children and available in school vending machines.
ACTION TO TAKE
Call and/or email members of the Senate Education Committee and ask them to vote YES on SB 0476. The hearings on this bill will be at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday the 12th. Calls are the most effective way to get your message across. It’s especially important to do so if you are a constituent of a member of the committee. The committee members are listed with their phone numbers for your convenience along with a block of email addresses you can copy/paste for each. Further down are “Talking Points” you may incorporate into your message.
To find your legislator, enter your address at
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fml2022/search.aspx
You may copy/paste the entire block to email the Committee:
Sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov, sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov, sen.raumesh.akbari@capitol.tn.gov, sen.mark.pody@capitol.tn.gov, sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov, sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov, sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov, sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov, sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov
List of Senate Education Committee members to call:
Chairwoman Dawn White (615) 741-6853
Senator Bill Powers (615) 741-2374
Senator Raumesh Akbari (615) 741-1767
Senator Mark Pody (615) 741-2421
Senator Adam Lowe (615) 741-1946
Senator Kerry Roberts (615) 741-4499
Senator Joey Hensley (615) 741-3100
Senator Rusty Crowe (615) 741-2468
Senator Ferrell Haile (615) 741-1999
TALKING POINTS: SB 0476
1. If you have a first hand story of yourself or your child being negatively impacted by food dyes please share that.
2. Research has increasingly linked artificial food dyes to negative effects on children’s health, particularly regarding behavior and learning. Studies have shown that some children experience heightened hyperactivity, attention issues, and behavioral challenges due to these additives.
Eliminating these dyes from school lunches would be a meaningful step toward fostering a healthier environment for learning and development.
3. In the European Union requires food containing Allura Red E129 (which is the European Designation for Red 40) to have a warning label that reads “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” Can be seen on the last page of this document.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:354:0016:0033:en:PDF
4. In 2021 the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published the report “Health Effects Assessment: Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children”. The report was the product of a two-year, multifaceted evaluation of seven synthetic food dyes that have been approved by the FDA. OEHHA extensively reviewed existing studies of the effects of these dyes on both humans and laboratory animals ultimately finding that “The scientific literature provides evidence in humans and animals, as well as mechanistic information, that synthetic food dyes can cause or exacerbate neurobehavioral problems in some children.” The full report can be read here. https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/risk-assessment/report/healthefftsassess041621.pdf
5. In 2024 California banned the top 6 food dyes, including Red 40 from being in California public schools. In the 2025 legislative session, 12 states including TN have introduced legislation around banning food dyes from public schools.
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LINKS
SB 0476 https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB0476.pdf
Find My Legislator
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fml2022/search.aspx
Senate Education Committee
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/CommitteeInfo/SenateComm.aspx?ga=114&committeeKey=630000
Additional links:
15 page letter from multiple organizations, scientists, and mental health specialists in support of the CA initiative.
Press releases breaking down the CA study:
https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/risk-assessment/press-release/fooddyepressrelease041621.pdf
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