Gov. Patrick Morrisey has signed House Bill 2354, which prohibits harmful food dyes in school lunches and unhealthy food items for commercial sale, making the state the second after California to do so.
Food dyes, particularly Red Dye No. 40 and Yellow Dye No. 5, are thought to cause a variety of health problems, primarily in children, including hyperactivity, irritability, and allergic reactions.
Morrisey held a press conference during which he stated that West Virginia, which ranks nearly last in public health metrics, is taking steps to become a healthier state.
“Let’s start with no more dyes and dangerous additives in the schools,” the politician said. “We know that studies show that can lead to issues with hormones and hyperactivity and learning challenges for our kids and even cancer.”
Companies must begin enforcing the new law on January 1, 2028, allowing enough time to make the necessary adjustments.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, is set to change under Morrisey’s administration.
He mentioned removing soda from taxpayer-subsidized SNAP, a request that would be made to the federal government and approved by Kennedy’s agency.
Morrisey has also stated that he wants to make “healthy bundles” available to SNAP recipients.
“If taxpayers are paying for it, let’s make sure it fuels health, not disease.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Morrisey at the event, speaking after the governor and beginning his speech with remarks about Morrisey’s weight.
“The first time I saw him, I said, ‘You look like you ate Governor Morrisey,'” Kennedy recalled, referring to Morrisey. “I’m going to put him on a very strict regimen, and we’ll put him on a carnivore diet.
He continued his jabs at Morrisey, saying, “Raise your hand if you want Gov. Morrisey to do a public weigh-in once a month.”
Morrisey smiled as he responded to Kennedy’s comments, having previously stated that he is a “major renovation project.”
Later, Morrisey reaffirmed his commitment to health and weight loss.
“I’m going to do my best, my personal best to make the hard choices to get healthier,” he told me. “You see, I want all West Virginians to have happy, long, healthy and purposeful lives.”
Holly Belmont can be contacted at belmont9@marshall.edu.
