Horne urges passage of bill to get harmful junk food out of schools
Feb 5, 2025, 5:00 AM | Updated: 7:28 am
PHOENIX — Cutting out junk foods is a common New Year’s resolution, but Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is taking it a step further. He wants to get it out of schools, as well.
That’s why he’s urging lawmakers to pass House Bill 2164. The junk food bill aims to remove foods and drinks with specific ingredients from cafeterias across the state.
“The time has come to eliminate harmful foods from public schools and vending machines,” Horne said during a Tuesday news conference. “Synthetic food dyes are associated with behavioral issues which then affect a child’s ability to perform academically and engage socially.”
He was joined by several advocates and state lawmakers, including Rep. Leo Biasiucci, who is sponsoring the bill.
Arizona junk food bill: What’s in it?
If the law passes, schools could not sell foods with one or more of these ingredients during regular school days:
- Potassium bromate.
- Propylparaben.
- Titanium dioxide.
- Brominated vegetable oil.
- Yellow dyes 5 and 6.
- Blue dyes 1 and 2
- Red dyes 3 and 40.
- Green dye 3.
“There are approximately 10,000 ingredients approved for use in the U.S. versus about 400 in Europe, and these issues need to be addressed,” Horne said. “Replacing foods that contain these ingredients and synthetic dye with those that are minimally processed is achievable.”
He lauded the Arizona Department of Education’s Try it Local program, which gives those in charge of school nutrition plans additional reimbursements if they buy locally grown foods with minimal processing.
“This is a familiar crusade for me. In 2006, I was successful in getting sugared sodas out of schools, and I am just as enthusiastic about seeing this effort succeed,” Horne said. “I urge passage of this bill, and the governor should sign it.”