What Foods Are Banned in California: Dyes, Foie Gras, Shark Fins

Several foods and food ingredients can’t legally be sold in California. The state bans four chemical additives in any food product starting January 1, 2027, keeps six synthetic dyes out of public school meals by December 31, 2027, and has long prohibited foie gras from force-fed birds, shark fins, and intentionally added PFAS in plant fiber food packaging. The list of foods banned in California is narrower than many shoppers assume, and it doesn’t include everything that carries a Proposition 65 warning.

Four Additives Banned Statewide in 2027

The California Food Safety Act (Assembly Bill 418) prohibits making, selling, or distributing any food for human consumption that contains four specific chemicals. The ban takes effect January 1, 2027, and covers the whole supply chain, not just store shelves.1California Legislative Information. AB-418 The California Food Safety Act

  • Brominated vegetable oil (BVO), once used in citrus-flavored sodas to keep flavoring evenly distributed
  • Potassium bromate, used in commercial baking to strengthen dough and improve texture
  • Propylparaben, a preservative found in some packaged baked goods and snack foods
  • Red Dye No. 3, a synthetic colorant used in candy, frosting, and flavored drinks

Enforcement sits with the Attorney General, city attorneys, county counsel, and district attorneys. Penalties reach $5,000 for a first offense and $10,000 for each subsequent violation.1California Legislative Information. AB-418 The California Food Safety Act

Two of the four substances are also now addressed federally. The FDA revoked its authorization for BVO on July 3, 2024, with a compliance deadline that passed August 2, 2025, making BVO prohibited in food nationwide.2U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) On January 15, 2025, the FDA ordered Red Dye No. 3 removed from food, giving manufacturers until January 15, 2027, to reformulate.3FDA. FD&C Red No. 3 Potassium bromate and propylparaben remain legal under federal rules, so for those two the California ban is the only restriction in the country.

Six Synthetic Dyes Banned in Public School Meals

The California School Food Safety Act (Assembly Bill 2316), signed September 28, 2024, takes a narrower approach. Beginning December 31, 2027, public school districts, county superintendents, and charter schools serving kindergarten through twelfth grade cannot offer breakfast or lunch containing six synthetic dyes:4California Legislative Information. AB-2316 Pupil Nutrition – Substances – Prohibition

  • Blue 1
  • Blue 2
  • Green 3
  • Red 40
  • Yellow 5
  • Yellow 6

The restriction applies during the school day, defined as midnight before the day begins to 30 minutes after it officially ends. Schools also cannot sell competitive snack foods or beverages containing these dyes to students during that window.4California Legislative Information. AB-2316 Pupil Nutrition – Substances – Prohibition

Fundraising events get an exception. Elementary, middle, and high schools can sell food that doesn’t meet the dye restrictions if the sale happens off campus, or on campus at least 30 minutes after the school day ends.4California Legislative Information. AB-2316 Pupil Nutrition – Substances – Prohibition

The law does not reach food brought from home, and it does not touch retail sales to the general public. Those six dyes remain legal in grocery stores and restaurants across California.

Foie Gras From Force-Fed Birds

California has banned the sale of foie gras produced through force-feeding since 2012. Health and Safety Code Section 25982 prohibits selling any product in California that results from force-feeding a bird to enlarge its liver beyond normal size.5California Legislative Information. Health and Safety Code 25980-25984 – Force Fed Birds The ban covers restaurants, retailers, and individual sellers, and it doesn’t matter where the foie gras was produced. If force-feeding was involved, it cannot be sold to a consumer inside the state.

Violations carry a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each offense, plus up to $1,000 for each day the violation continues.5California Legislative Information. Health and Safety Code 25980-25984 – Force Fed Birds

There is one narrow exception that surprises people. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that California residents may purchase foie gras from out-of-state sellers for personal use and have it shipped home through a third-party delivery company. The court described this as limited to a direct sale from a seller outside the state to an individual consumer inside it. Restaurants and retailers within California still cannot sell or give away foie gras produced by force-feeding.

Shark Fins

California banned the possession, sale, and distribution of shark fins in 2012 under Assembly Bill 376. The federal Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, effective December 23, 2022, now prohibits the same conduct nationwide. No one may possess, buy, sell, or transport a detached shark fin or any product containing one.6NOAA Fisheries. Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2023 FAQs

A few narrow exceptions exist under federal law:

  • Fins from smooth dogfish and spiny dogfish may still be possessed and sold, though the exemption does not extend to similar-looking species like Pacific spiny dogfish
  • Museums, colleges, and universities with proper permits may possess fin clips for noncommercial research
  • Fins used for noncommercial subsistence purposes under applicable law are exempt

Fishermen may still land and sell whole sharks with fins naturally attached, consistent with the Shark Conservation Act of 2010.6NOAA Fisheries. Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2023 FAQs For California consumers, shark fin soup and similar products have been unavailable through legal channels for well over a decade.

PFAS in Food Packaging

California restricts PFAS, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances often called “forever chemicals,” in food packaging through Assembly Bill 1200. The law took effect January 1, 2023, and bans intentionally added PFAS in any plant fiber-based food packaging. That reaches paper bags, cardboard takeout containers, and similar materials. It also sets a ceiling of 100 parts per million for total PFAS content, catching products where PFAS may be present even if not deliberately added.

The restriction targets grease-proofing coatings historically used on fast-food wrappers, pizza boxes, and microwave popcorn bags. At the federal level, the FDA confirmed in February 2024 that these substances had been removed from the U.S. market, and in January 2025 the agency formally declared 35 food contact authorizations related to PFAS no longer effective.7U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Determines Authorization for 35 Food Contact Notifications Related to PFAS Are No Longer Effective Existing packaging stock produced before January 6, 2025, could be used through June 30, 2025.

California’s law was ahead of the federal action and remains broader in some respects, because it imposes a hard concentration limit rather than relying on voluntary industry cooperation.

Proposition 65 Warnings Are Not a Ban

The warning labels you see on so many California food products come from Proposition 65, which does not prohibit any food from sale. Under this 1986 law, businesses must notify consumers when a product exposes them to a chemical on California’s list of substances known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Failing to provide a required warning can cost up to $2,500 per violation per day.8OEHHA. About Proposition 65

Chemicals commonly involved in food warnings include:9Proposition 65 Warnings Website. Foods and Beverages

  • Acrylamide, which forms naturally during high-temperature cooking in starchy foods like french fries, potato chips, toast, and roasted coffee
  • Lead, sometimes found in dietary supplements, balsamic vinegar, and imported spices like cinnamon and turmeric
  • Mercury, which accumulates in predator fish such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and certain tuna species
  • Arsenic, which occurs in rice grown in contaminated soil and certain types of seaweed, particularly hijiki
  • Cadmium, present in some shellfish, organ meats, and leafy greens grown in cadmium-rich soil
  • BPA, which can leach into food from the lining of cans, jar lids, and polycarbonate containers

A Prop 65 label on a food product means the product contains a listed chemical above California’s notification threshold. It does not mean the product is unsafe or illegal to sell.