2026: The Year of the State Food Ingredient & Additive Bans

As the legislative season ramps up in January across the country, food companies and ingredient suppliers need to be aware of a growing trend of state-level proposals to ban certain food ingredients and additives. As part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, 14 states are considering bills that would ban or restrict what they consider to be harmful food ingredients. Eleven states have introduced school-specific bans on dyes and other ingredients. Although the fate of these measures is uncertain, early shakers and movers are New York, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. The lack of uniformity when it comes to state-level bans adds a layer of compliance complexity to the food sector. This action, of course, is on the heels of a multitude of executive actions from the Trump Administration in 2025, including the release of the report from the MAHA Commission. Actions at the state level are something we are watching closely on behalf of our clients, and affected companies should have “boots on the ground” in the states as well.