Food Chemical Bans · Tennessee
Tennessee School Food Dye Restriction
HB 134 - pending in Tennessee.
- Status
- Pending
- States with food chemical bans laws
- 8
- Tennessee tracker score
- 31/100 Below median
The bottom line
Tennessee School Food Dye Restriction is a pending bill in Tennessee, part of a still-emerging food chemical bans landscape.
- Pending
- current status
- 8
- states have food chemical bans laws
- 8/11
- food chemical bans laws enacted nationally
- 31/100
- Tennessee tracker score
Data compiled 2026-03-18 from the official Tennessee legislative record linked below; laws can be amended or repealed after this date.
Category status mix · regulations
How 11 tracked food chemical bans records split by status
Exclusive enacted vs pending counts in this category (sum to the category total). Orthogonal to the peer scatter below, which plots state-level enacted volume against portal tracker score.
Regulatory Snapshot: Tennessee School Food Dye Restriction
Tennessee School Food Dye Restriction (HB 134) is a pending bill in Tennessee under the Food Chemical Bans category. It is moving through the legislative process. Tennessee currently has 3 regulations tracked here, with 2 records marked enacted in this dataset. PlainRegWatch's tracker score is 31/100; it summarizes coverage within the five categories this site tracks and is not an official state rating. PlainRegWatch compiled this entry's data on 2026-03-18; consult the linked official source for the current, authoritative text.
Nationally, 8 food chemical bans statutes have been enacted and 3 additional bills remain pending - 8 distinct jurisdictions have codified rules in this area so far. That places Tennessee within a still-emerging food chemical bans landscape where compliance programs typically hinge on definitions in HB 134 itself.
Applicability under Tennessee School Food Dye Restriction: Tennessee public schools. Penalty exposure is documented as: TBD. Notable exemptions: TBD..
Summary
Proposed ban on Red 40 and other dyes from school food. Passed House, pending Senate.
Key Requirements
- Would ban Red 40 and synthetic dyes from school food.
Penalties
- TBD.
Applicability
- Tennessee public schools.
Exemptions
- TBD.
Category context
How Tennessee sits among food chemical bans peers
8 states have a tracked record in food chemical bans ; Tennessee ranks #8 by portal tracker score among those peers. Each point is one state with at least one food chemical bans regulation in this archive.
Read the peer-state figures
- California: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 100/100.
- Texas: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 69/100.
- Illinois: 0 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 62/100.
- New York: 0 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 62/100.
- Delaware: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 59/100.
- Virginia: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 59/100.
- Utah: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 55/100.
- Tennessee (this state): 0 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 31/100.
- Arizona: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 28/100.
- Louisiana: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 28/100.
- West Virginia: 1 enacted of 1 tracked food chemical bans record, tracker score 28/100.
Dashed lines mark the peer averages in this category. The tracker score summarizes enacted records across all five policy areas PlainRegWatch tracks; it is not enforcement strength or legal burden. Read how tracker scores are computed.
Tracker-score ranking on food chemical bans
Top peer states by portal tracker score among jurisdictions with a food chemical bans record in this archive.
| # | State | Tracker score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 100 |
| 2 | Texas | 69 |
| 3 | Illinois | 62 |
| 4 | New York | 62 |
| 5 | Delaware | 59 |
| 6 | Virginia | 59 |
| 7 | Utah | 55 |
| 8 | Tennessee (this state) | 31 |
| 9 | Arizona | 28 |
| 10 | Louisiana | 28 |
Read with Tennessee School Food Dye Restricti…
Nearest food chemical bans volume peers and same-state archive siblings for this PENDING · MID row.
PENDING MID
Illinois · 0 enacted
Illinois holds 0 enacted food chemical bans rows (more by 0 than Tennessee); tracker 62/100.
New York · 0 enacted
New York holds 0 enacted food chemical bans rows (more by 0 than Tennessee); tracker 62/100.
Arizona · 1 enacted
Arizona holds 1 enacted food chemical bans rows (more by 1 than Tennessee); tracker 28/100.
Louisiana · 1 enacted
Louisiana holds 1 enacted food chemical bans rows (more by 1 than Tennessee); tracker 28/100.
Tennessee Information Protection Act · ENACTED
Another Tennessee archive row (Data Privacy) stamped ENACTED beside PENDING Tennessee School Food Dye R….
Tennessee Minimum Wage — Federal Floor · ENACTED
Another Tennessee archive row (Employment & Worker Protection) stamped ENACTED beside PENDING Tennessee School Food Dye R….
Disclaimer: This summary is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulation details may have changed since this data was compiled (2026-03-18). Always consult official sources and qualified legal counsel for compliance guidance.
More Tennessee Regulations
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Verify with the official Tennessee source →
Every figure on PlainRegWatch is rendered from curated state legislative and Federal Register source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Status, dates, and source URL are this record's row in the curated archive, not a live legislature scrape. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026. Tracker scores and rule counts are curated records in five tracked categories - not enforcement strength, legal advice, a complete inventory of US law, or a live bill-status feed.