Poison on the Plate? PA Lawmaker Says It’s Time to Clean Up What’s Really in Your Food

A growing legislative effort to clean up Pennsylvania’s food supply gained momentum this week as lawmakers held a press conference and informational hearing on the Healthy PA Package, a sweeping set of bills targeting harmful additives, pesticides, and industry loopholes.

This isn’t the first time state legislators have sounded the alarm. Think American News first reported on the package in April, when Reps. Natalie Mihalek and Melissa Shusterman introduced legislation to ban known toxic chemicals—including Red Dye No. 3, potassium bromate, and brominated vegetable oil—from the state’s food supply. Now, with public testimony, bipartisan support, and growing awareness, the push to eliminate dangerous substances from everyday snacks and meals is rapidly picking up steam.

“Enough is enough,” Mihalek said at a press event this week. “Choice is an illusion big food wants you to believe you have—you don’t. That’s why we must act without hesitation.”

The Healthy PA Package includes eight bills focused on banning artificial dyes and carcinogenic chemicals, requiring safety disclosures from food manufacturers, and redefining ultra-processed foods. The legislation also proposes labeling requirements to warn consumers of the potential risks associated with artificial colors, and seeks to ban dangerous pesticides like Paraquat, which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and childhood leukemia.

At the center of this week’s press conference was the unveiling of Mihalek’s “Trillion Dollar Tree,” a metaphor for the connection between diet and disease. In this visual, the branches represent the chronic illnesses affecting millions of Americans—while the root cause, according to Mihalek, is metabolic dysfunction fueled by poor nutrition and toxic ingredients.

“We spend $5 trillion a year treating the branches—chronic disease—and virtually nothing fighting back against what’s attacking our roots,” she said. “That has to change.”

Earlier in the day, the House Consumer Protection Committee hosted an informational hearing where experts and advocates laid out the science linking synthetic dyes, preservatives, and pesticide residues to conditions such as cancer, behavioral disorders, and endocrine disruption. Testifiers included representatives from the Environmental Working Group, the Rodale Institute, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Kellyn Foundation, and Unleaded Kids.

Opposition to the bills came from familiar industry voices, including the PA Chamber, the National Confectioners Association, and the International Association of Color Manufacturers, who defended the current regulatory structure and warned of burdensome changes for food manufacturers.

Still, lawmakers backing the bills say federal inaction has left states with no choice but to lead.

“The FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 from cosmetics more than 30 years ago,” Mihalek said last month. “But it’s still in our kids’ cereal and candy. Why are we waiting?”

The legislation also seeks to close the so-called “GRAS loophole,” which allows companies to self-certify food additives as safe without FDA oversight. One bill, HB 1130, would require companies to disclose the use of GRAS substances and prove their safety. Another, HB 1132, defines ultra-processed foods for the first time in state law—an effort to better regulate the growing category of lab-engineered snacks.

Rep. Shusterman, who co-authored several bills in the package, said the initiative is about peace of mind for families.

“Worrying about health risks in your groceries shouldn’t be part of shopping,” she said. “We have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to make food safer for everyone.”

This week’s press conference and hearing mark a major step forward for the legislation, which continues to gain co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle. In total, 40 lawmakers have signed on in support.

“Together we will create a path forward for the Pennsylvania consumer,” Mihalek said. “And hopefully lead the way for other states ready to act where Washington has failed.”

As lawmakers continue building momentum behind the Healthy PA Package, public awareness is growing—and so is the pressure on food industry giants to change course. With bipartisan backing, personal stories from families affected by diet-related illness, and mounting scientific support, supporters of the package say this is no longer just about policy—it’s about public health.

Whether the full package passes or pieces of it begin to move independently, one thing is clear: Pennsylvania has become ground zero in the fight to take harmful chemicals off our plates. And for advocates like Rep. Mihalek, it’s not a matter of if—only when.