The party of small government is about to move from your bedroom to the kitchen.
Over the last week or so, both KFOR and KOCO profiled SB 4. Introduced by Edmond mom-turned-State Senator Kristen Thompson, it wants to ban certain food dyes from being sold in Oklahoma and, in the process, clear your pantry of anything fun.
Via KFOR:
A proposed bill has been gaining a lot of traction. If passed, it could change some of the ingredients in your favorite foods.
Senator Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, introduced Senate Bill 4…
"What better time than to partner with a national conversation and bring it local back to our state,” said Senator Thompson.
If the bill becomes law, it would prohibit eleven additives from being used in products, including four colors of dye, such as Red 40.
Senator Thompson says it would cover all products in the state of Oklahoma, regardless of where they came from.
Unlike Sen. Thompson, I don’t spend a lot of time interacting in Organic Edmond Mom Facebook groups, so I’m not up to date on which food dyes, vaccines, and rogue corn syrups are harming today’s kids, or which vitamins, nutrients, or essential oils can cure them.
Who knows, maybe these food dyes really are bad and should be banned, and Oklahoma should become the only place in the country where people can buy white Skittles.
That being said, I thought the whole mantra of conservatism was to let the free market play itself out and allow large corporations to regulate themselves. Like, isn’t capitalism supposed to solve problems like this? If Red 40, Yellow 6, and Burnt Sienna 5000 are so bad, wouldn’t free-market forces have removed them already? Do we really need the big, bad government to make that decision for us?
According to Thompson, I guess the answer is “Yes.” This is because she’s conducted her own hard-hitting research:
Thompson filed the bill, which would ban certain food dyes—like Red 40, Yellow Dye 5 and 6, and more—from being used in products at the grocery store.
She said she started looking into it more after seeing her kids become more hyper after having red-colored drinks and food.
There you have it! It’s not sugar, environmental stimuli, emotions, lack of sleep, health conditions, or the simple fact that most children have the energy reserves of caffeinated squirrels. It’s obviously the food dyes! And we know this because an Edmond mom noticed her kids acting extra hyper at Surge Adventure Park after they chugged a bottle of Gatorade and a pack of Twizzlers. Science, folks!
Well, at least that’s what she wants us to believe.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but you have to wonder if Senator Thompson is in bed with the holistic organic food dye industry. Then again, maybe she wants to keep and hoard all the red dyes for her lipstick collection:
Pro Tip: When you’re going on TV to talk about the dangers of artificial dyes, maybe don’t wear lipstick that makes you look like the Joker. Not only is it distracting and a bit hypocritical, but it may make you hyperactive.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see if this bill gains any traction at the Capitol.
Once again, Oklahoma Republicans are anti-regulation zealots who pride themselves on keeping the big, mean, evil government out of the way of big business, so I can’t imagine this getting out of a committee, especially when and if food lobbyists get involved.
Then again, Oklahoma Republicans are also massive hypocrites, so I guess nothing will surprise me.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
