Dallas (AP)-A modern law in Texas, which promotes the Agenda of the Trump government “Make America Healthy”, requires the first warning signs for food such as chips and sweets that contain dyes and additives that are not allowed in other countries.
It could have far -reaching effects on the nation’s food supply, but a review of the legislation shows that it also incorrectly represents the status of some ingredients that would trigger the action.
The law signed by the Republican governor Greg Abbott on Sunday
The law that enforces the food industry for reacting is commendable in its intention, but could lead to false quotes and potential legal challenges, said a consumer representative.
“I don’t know how the list of chemicals was built,” said Thomas Galligan, a scientist of the Center for Science in the public interest. “Warnings must be correct to be legal.”
The law, which was approved with a wide range of support, is part of a flood of similar legislation this year by GOP-led statehausen, while the legislature corresponds to the US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Texas would be the first in the United States to be used to target additives instead of nutrients such as sugar or saturated fat to change American diet.
Food companies will force you to decide whether products should be re -formulated in order to avoid the labels to add the newly required language, to draw certain products from Texas on the shelves or to oppose the measure to court.
It is unclear how the list of additives was created. Inquiries from the office of the author of the law, the Republican Senator Lois Kolkhorst, were not returned immediately.
Some of the targeted ingredients are allowed in all regions mentioned
The supervisory authorities in Australia, Canada, the EU and Great Britain pursue a cautious approach for foods: If the safety of a product is uncertain, it can be banned or restricted until it is determined. In contrast, the USA generally allow products on the market, unless there is a clear risk of damage.
Three additives, which aim from Texas – partially hydrated oils, red dye No. 4 and Red DYE No. 3 – are not approved by US regulatory authorities or prohibited in food.
Some of the other ingredients listed are permitted in all four regions, stated the galligan and representatives of the consumer fire association, a food industry.
Examples of this are: Blue Dye No. 1; Blue dye No. 2; Butylated hydroxyanisol or bha; Butylated hydroxytoluole or BHT; Diacetyl; Interesting soybean oil; Lactylated fatty acid ester from glycerin and propylene glycol; and potassium aluminum sulfate.
In addition, legislation contains regulatory gaps that could prevent certain ingredients from being marked at all, Melanie Benesh, an analyst of the environmental work group, said an activist organization that focuses on toxic chemicals.
For example, the Azodicarbonamide known as ADA, which is known as ADA and is used as a bleach in grade, is included in the Texas list. But according to the Federal Code of Determination, it can be used safely in food under certain conditions. This federal regulation probably frees ADA from the state labeling law, said Benesh.
“The law may not have the effects that the legislators have intended,” said Benesh.
Nutrition experts welcome a look at food additives
Nutrition experts have long been concerned about the potential health effects of food additives, even if it remains unclear how much of a role processed foods plays in the presence of chronic health diseases.
Studies have shown that warnings for food labels can aid to remove consumers to healthier decisions and the request to remove ingredients. The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed to mark the mirrors of saturated fatty acids, sugar and sodium.
“This is a great victory for Texas consumers and consumers as a whole,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for consumer reports. “It is a reflection of the states that do not want to wait for the federal government to act.”
The law also creates a state advisory committee for nutritional counseling, increases the requirements for sports and nutrition curricula in public and charter schools and requires nutritional courses for students and doctors who carry out further training.
States take over additives
Several states have taken measures to limit dyes and additives in food.
In 2023, California was the first state to ban some chemicals and dyes that were used due to health concerns in sweets, drinks and other foods. The state expanded this last year by leaving several additional dyes from food served in public schools.
Other laws that were adopted this year include one in Arkansas, which prohibits two certain additives from food that were sold or manufactured in the state, and a law of West Virginia includes a nationwide ban on seven dyes.
According to an associated press analysis using Bill-Tracking Software Plural, the legislator took measures in several countries to ban or sell certain additives. This includes Texas, in which the governor signed an invoice last month who bans foods with certain ingredients from school lunch at school.
“It is a rather dizzying time to observe what happens, because normally guidelines that are not very industry-friendly are, especially in the red states,” said Christina Roberto, director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Food and Nutritional Policy, “with the RFK and the Maha movement, it is in a way turned in the entire way.”
At the federal level, Kennedy and the FDA commissioner Marty Makary have undertaken to remove artificial dyes from food and have put industry under pressure to take voluntary measures. Some enormous food manufacturers have followed.
Health representatives have long demanded the removal of artificial dyes from food, and quoted mixed studies that indicate that they can cause neuro -Shavioral problems in some children, including hyperactivity and attention problems.
The FDA has previously announced that the approved dyes are sheltered and that “the entirety of the scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when it comes to consuming food to contain the color.”
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Alecccia wore this report by Temecula, California, at, Associated Press Writer David A. Lieb reported Jefferson City, Mo.
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