INDIANAPOLIS — Legislation proposed in the Indiana state legislature would ban the use of high-fructose corn syrup in food and beverage products sold in the state. The legislation was proposed on Jan. 8 and referred to the legislature’s Committee on Public Health. If enacted as currently written, it would go into effect on July 1, 2024, if passed.

The proposed legislation follows other states that have passed or proposed bans on other ingredients. In October 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 418 that bans the use of Red No. 3, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate and propylparaben after Jan. 1, 2027. A similar bill has been proposed in Illinois that targets the sale or distribution of product formulated with BVO, potassium bromate and Red No. 3.

Earlier this month, David Acheson, MD, founder of The Acheson Group and former associate commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration, identified states banning ingredients as a key regulatory trend in 2024.

“I was surprised when I saw (California’s ban) happen, I have to say, and it set a precedent most definitely,” Acheson said in an interview with Food Business News. “I think it’s also given states the confidence that they can do it, and the FDA cannot stop them.”

He suggested that such a future could create extensive compliance difficulties for manufacturers should states implement differing food and beverage regulations.

The Corn Refiners Association, Washington, said it recognizes that many Americans need to reduce their total intake of calories, including calories from sugars and sweeteners.