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HealthQuiet 2d · day 3

Jesse Gabriel's food-safety wins outpace RFK Jr.'s FDA inaction

California lawmaker passes strict food-additive bans while federal regulators under Kennedy seek voluntary compliance.

newest coverage 2d agosummary written 1d ago4 pieces195 likes & upvotes1 comments NewswiresMastodonBluesky

What to know

  • Jesse Gabriel passed California's Food Safety Act in 2023, banning five chemical additives legal in U.S. foods but banned in the EU, China, India, or Brazil.
  • RFK Jr., now FDA secretary, campaigned on food reform but has taken little regulatory action as HHS secretary, preferring voluntary manufacturer compliance.
  • Gabriel has continued passing state laws on food safety that exceed federal standards, establishing the nation's first statutory definition of ultraprocessed foods.

“There was Red No. 3, a colorant that had been prohibited by the Food and Drug Administration for more than 30 years in cosmetics because of links to cancer in rats, but was authorized for use in the food we eat.”

Mother Jones (reporting on Gabriel's findings), Publication · Mother Jones ↗

Jesse Gabriel California Assembly memberRobert F. Kennedy Jr.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Jesse Gabriel's food-safety wins outpace RFK Jr.'s FDA inaction
motherjones.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 21, 6 AM; 4 pieces over 3 days (1 article · 3 posts) Sep 21, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 21, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quiet 1
Sep 22yesterdaynow · 12:59 AM ET
  1. 1

    Mother Jones reports gap between Kennedy's campaign promises and FDA action

    While RFK Jr. put a spotlight on food dangers as a presidential candidate and secretary of Health and Human Services, the FDA under Kennedy has taken little meaningful regulatory action, opting instead to extract voluntary commitments from manufacturers. Gabriel, meanwhile, has continued passing state laws banning dyes and additives from school lunches and establishing the nation's first statutory definition of ultraprocessed foods.

    “I always assumed there was someone in Washington, DC, watching my back. When I learned that that wasn't the case, it actually made me angry.”
    — Jesse Gabriel, California Assembly member · source
    • motherjones.com

      Meet the California lawmaker forcing Big Food to clean up its act.

      motherjones.comBluesky2d ago195▲view on Bluesky ↗
  2. background

    California Food Safety Act signed into law — Despite industry pushback on what became known as the "Skittles ban," the bill passed and was signed. Gabriel's staff gave him a commemorative Skittles pillow.

  3. background

    Gabriel introduces California Food Safety Act banning five chemical additives — Skeptical of what sounded like "California woo-woo," Gabriel was converted after reading an Environmental Working Group memo detailing dangers of chemicals legal in U.S. foods but banned elsewhere. He introduced legislation to ban Red No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben, and titanium dioxide.