RFK Jr. To Make Major Change to Beloved Food Items Including M&M’s and Doritos
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has backed a new Texas food bill that targets snack favorites such as Doritos, Skittles, M&M’s and Mountain Dew. The bill would see a warning message to consumers placed on the packaging of some of the nation’s favorite packaged foods.
The bill would only apply to food sold in Texas, which has 31 million residents — the second largest population in the U.S. The proposed labels would warn consumers about ingredients “not recommended for human consumption” by other countries, taking effect in 2027, according to Bloomberg.
If it goes through, it will be the first substantial win for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which is headed up by Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services — who recently cited health facts from a study that does not exist.
Delaware Bans Red Dye 40 in Schools
Everything, from the lunch line in the cafeteria to the snack options in the vending machine, are going to look a little different in Delaware after the First State bans Red Dye 40 in schools.
The new law prohibits the sale or distribution of foods and beverages containing the dye in Delaware school districts and charter schools. This also includes items sold in vending machines on campus.
There has been growing concern over the impact synthetic food dyes can have on children’s health, including possible behavioral issues and hyperactivity. Schools have until July 1 of next year to make the transition.
Everything You Know About the Dietary Guidelines Is Wrong
In April, two weeks after being sworn in as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Marty Makary sat down for an interview with conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly. Over the course of an hour, the food pyramid came up several times.
“Are we redoing the food pyramid?” Kelly asked, in one exchange. “We’re redoing the food pyramid,” Makary confirmed, with gusto. “Thank God!” Kelly replied.
However, the food pyramid — once used as a visual aid to convey the federal government’s dietary guidelines to Americans — was retired in 2011, nearly 15 years ago. In addition, the FDA is not in charge of developing those guidelines. Every five years, an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, called the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update and release them.
The exchange on the podcast episode is one of many examples of how most Americans might be unfamiliar with the details of the dietary guidelines. And while the Trump administration is promising to completely overhaul them, misinformation about what the guidelines say and the process that creates them is only getting worse.
EFSA Is Hiding Data on Genetically Engineered Burgers
The U.S. company Impossible Foods has used genetic engineering (GE) to develop a blood-like dye that imitates the taste and appearance of meat. The protein, which is similar to the blood pigment hemoglobin, is originally found in the roots of soybean plants. The company produces the substance using GE yeast, and now wants to add it to its meat substitute products in the EU. Currently, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is withholding basic information on this genetically engineered soy leghemoglobin, even though Testbiotech has submitted several official requests.
EFSA, which is the body responsible for risk assessment, published its review report on soy leghemoglobin in November 2024. However, relevant parts of the opinion which referred to confidential business information were redacted, thus making the data on exactly how the DNA of the product and the yeast were modified inaccessible to external experts or the general public. This is in contrast to EU legislation, which states that all risk-relevant data must be made publicly available.
Amongst other things, this unusual procedure has implications for the public consultation required for authorizations, which is meant to contribute to the transparency of the process and product safety. Unless the redacted data is made available, it is not possible, for example, to make scientifically sound comments on the molecular biological analyses or the safety of the products in the consultation process.
In addition, it means that independent detection methods cannot be developed to identify any food contamination from the genetically engineered yeast.
Looking Into the Correlation Between Microplastics on Strawberry Surfaces With Microplastics in Air and Pesticides
With the global increase in plastic pollution, microplastic contamination of agricultural products has become an emerging environmental issue that threatens food safety.
In this study, linear analysis combined with principal component analysis was used to determine the correlation between microplastics in air and pesticides and the abundance and components of microplastics on the surface of strawberries, which fills the gap of traceability studies of microplastics on the surface of agricultural products.
A high correlation coefficient of 0.65 was observed between microplastics on strawberry surfaces and the microplastic abundance in the air; however, the correlation coefficient with the abundance of microplastics in pesticides was only 0.30, which was weak.
Polypropylene, polyamide and polyethylene were the polymers detected in the largest proportion of all experimental samples. Polypropylene had the highest percentage of detections in air and pesticides at 70.66% and 74.04%, respectively. The percentages of polypropylene, polyamide and polyethylene on strawberry surfaces were 36.97%, 29.20% and 17.36%, respectively.
This study provides scientific support for the formulation of microplastic limit standards for agricultural products and the optimization of agricultural production norms, which is of strategic significance for guaranteeing food safety and promoting the sustainable development of agriculture.
