CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — The International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM) has filed a federal lawsuit challenging West Virginia’s new law banning several FDA-approved synthetic food colorings, calling the measure unconstitutional and unsupported by science.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, seeks to block enforcement of House Bill 2354 — a law that classifies seven synthetic dyes, including Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1, as “poisonous and injurious.” The measure partially took effect on August 1 for school meal programs and will expand statewide in 2028.
IACM argues that the law defies decades of federal and international safety studies confirming the dyes’ safety. The association, representing color manufacturers and