Health & wellness
BY HANNAH NORTON
Legislature eyes stricter food safety standards to curb disease
While life expectancy has risen in recent years, Americans are getting sick earlier in life, public health and wellness experts told the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Nov. 13. For example, colon and rectal cancer are the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under age 50, and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women under age 50, according to a 2024 report by the American Cancer Society. “People are living sick longer,” said Jason Karp, CEO of health company HumanCo. “So, I don’t think necessarily lifespan is the only variable to look at. ‘Health span’ is a new term that they’re using, which is how you feel when you’re 60 or 70 or 80.” Panelists said rising obesity rates were another consequence of lax food safety standards. Roughly 40% of U.S. adults were considered obese—defined as a body mass index of 30 or above—between August 2021-August 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. That’s up from 15% in 1976, according to the National Institutes of Health. “I don’t think that our government has focused as much as we should on these root causes [of chronic disease],” said Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham.
U.S. adult obesity rates, 2023 Health experts say genes, stress, exercise, food affordability, access to health care and more can contribute to obesity. Less than 20%
25 to 29.9% 20 to 24.9% 30 to 34.9%
35 to 39.9% 40 to 44.9% 45% to 50% Insufficient data*
N
Texas obesity rates
Obesity and diabetes
40%
36.1%
35.8%
35.5%
Obesity is linked to up to 53% of new cases of Type 2 diabetes each year
34.4%
34.0%
35%
30%
2.7 million Texans have been diagnosed with diabetes
0
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
SOURCES: U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
One more thing
Zooming in
Legislative approach In November, Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, filed Senate Bill 314, which would ban the following food additives from free and reduced- price meals in Texas public schools: Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) The FDA banned the drink stabilizer Aug. 2, giving companies one year to phase it out. Found in some baked goods, like bagels and bread, to improve product texture. Potassium bromate Used as a preservative in some packaged baked goods, like pastries and tortillas. Propylparaben Used to bleach flour and strengthen dough in items like pizzas, burger buns and more. Azodicarbonamide Found as a preservative in some cured meats, cereals and active dry yeast. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) The synthetic dye, made from petroleum, is found in some candies and beverages. Red Dye 3 Used to whiten or enhance color in some shredded cheese, gum and candies. Titanium dioxide
Texas senators said Nov. 13 they were inter- ested in tightening regulations on food additives, like chemicals and artificial dyes, to improve food safety and better inform consumers. California is the first state to ban six artificial dyes from food and drinks served at public schools, Karp said. The California Food Safety Act, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 28, will prohibit public schools from serving foods containing Blue Dye 1, Blue Dye 2, Green Dye 3, Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5 or Yellow Dye 6 begin- ning in late 2027. Senators said they would like to see Texas follow suit. “These known toxins that other countries and other [states] have already said, ‘No, you’re not going to poison our people over here’—it’s time for us to step up and join in,” Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, said. “Let’s just stop the bad stuff. We’re not going to change people’s habits overnight on how they raise their kids and what they eat and how they cook ... but we can at least do the responsible thing.”
Kolkhorst said solving issues with nutrition and health require changes across the board. “I think this goes into the pharmaceutical conversation, the training of our medical workforce, what we’re eating, the discoveries we make that give us longevity,” Kolkhorst said. Eric Boerwinkle, dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, said 80% of health outcomes are driven by “nonmedical factors,” such as access to healthy food. “It’s important, as we think about what we can do to improve the health of Texas, [to consider] how we bridge health care and the social service providers or community organizations that are helping us with food distribution, or industry that’s helping us with food quality,” he said.
SOURCES: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
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