A bill banning food dye in West Virginia schools takes effect Friday

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — House Bill 2354 was passed by the West Virginia Legislature and signed into law by Governor Patrick Morrisey in March.

The bill prohibits the use of synthetic food dyes and preservatives in food served in West Virginia schools and is set to take effect this Friday.

Kanawha County Schools Child Nutrition Executive Director Diane Miller said her team has been working since spring break to find suitable replacements.

“We first established what products we’re currently using that contain the dyes, then we created a list of items we couldn’t go without—things we needed a comparable solution for like yogurts and cereals. We’ve been able to find alternatives for those,” Miller said.

According to Miller, some of the food affected by the ban include certain yogurts, strawberry milk and the pepperoni used in pepperoni rolls. However, Miller said they are beginning to use turkey pepperoni for the pepperoni rolls.

The law bans red dye 3, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2 and green 3.

The law goes into effect at West Virginia schools on Aug. 1.

West Virginia is the first state in the country to enact a law of this kind. Other states, including California and Virginia, have passed similar legislation, but West Virginia’s is the earliest to take effect.

The ban will be extended to food and drug products sold within the state on January 1, 2028.