Your Favorite Snacks May Soon Carry An Alarming Warning Label In Texas. Here's What You Need To Know
If you're a lover of Doritos, Sour Patch Kids, and dozens of other popular snack foods, your favorite treats might soon carry a shocking warning label in Texas. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made targeting additives a key part of his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative to improve America's food supply, setting off a wave of legislation and government action. The controversial red dye no. 3 was banned in January 2025, and the Food & Drug Administration has started working with food companies on the voluntary removal of other synthetic ingredients and dyes. But some states are taking things even farther, and in Texas, allies of Kennedy are looking to add a warning label to many products that would say they are not recommended for human consumption.
The warning label would be an extraordinary step, not just because of how strong it is but because it is based on regulations from other countries, not the U.S. According to USA Today, the warning label would read "WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom." The label would apply to 44 ingredients that have been banned or have warning labels in other countries. If passed, the regulation will affect popular brands like M&Ms, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, and many chips, packaged baked goods, breakfast cereals, and even less snacky foods like frozen dinners and hot dogs.
Read more: The Most Iconic Snack In Every State
The disparity between American food regulations and other countries, especially in Europe, has long been a sore spot for activists fighting for cleaner food. This is because the U.S. takes a much different, more hands-off approach to regulating food additives and ingredients. In the EU new ingredients are assumed to be unhealthy and must be proven to be safe before they are added to food. In the U.S., it's the opposite, and new ingredients are assumed to be safe unless proven dangerous through more rigorous scientific testing. This has created a long list of ingredients that are banned in foreign countries that are allowed in the U.S. and is the reason why some American products like Gatorade are banned in certain European countries.
Representatives from the food industry have argued against the pending legislation, arguing that the ingredients lists are considered safe by the FDA and that the regulation will increase costs for consumers. The actual level of danger of many of these ingredients is still a source of contentious debate, but some on the list, like potassium bromate, have been linked with side effects like tumor growth. It's still unclear whether the law will pass or if Texas Governor Greg Abbott will veto the bill, but with a state as big as Texas considering a bill like this, America could be taking the first steps towards more stringent European-style regulation of food.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iranians react to new Trump travel ban as tensions are high between nations
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians again face a U.S. travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump, with the decision drawing anger, frustration and some shrugs given the decades of tensions between the countries. Trump imposed a similar ban during his first term before withdrawing America unilaterally from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, under which Iran drastically limited its program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. When he returned to the White House and began seeking a new deal with Iran, it saw the country's rial currency improve and stocks rise. But worries have grown as its government appears poised to reject an initial American proposal. The travel ban has further darkened that mood and led Iranians to fear Trump will lump the nation's 80 million people with its theocratic government even after he repeatedly praised them while seeking a deal. 'Now I understand that Trump is against all Iranians, and his attitude is not limited to the government,' said Asghar Nejati, a 31-year-old man working in a Tehran pharmacy. Even in the years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and subsequent U.S. Embassy hostage crisis, Iranian students traveled to the U.S. to attend universities. Between 2018 and 2024, an average of around 10,000 Iranian students went to the U.S. annually. Estimates suggest some 1 million Iranian-origin people live in the U.S. today. Mehrnoush Alipour, a 37-year-old graphic designer, said the nations could have better relations if they could spoke to each other in softer tones. 'This is another foolish decision. Trump cannot reach his goals by imposing pressures on ordinary Iranians," she said. "The two nations can have better relations through openings, not restrictions.' Bank teller Mahdieh Naderi said Trump was lashing out over his frustrated efforts to reach ceasefires in the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war. 'Trump just expressed his anger about his failed plans,' Naderi said. 'He is complaining about the Chinese and others who are living in the U.S., too Some said interest in the U.S. was already waning before the latest ban. 'Over the past years, two of my grandchildren went to Canada to continue their education there," said Mohammad Ali Niaraki, 75. "Iranians are not limited in immigration and they are not as interested to go to the U.S. as they were decades ago. Iranians prefer Canada, as well as neighboring countries with flourishing economies like the (United Arab) Emirates.' Others pointed out that high-ranking government officials have children living or working in the U.S., despite the tensions, and suggested that it would be fair to remove those as well. Tehran resident Mehri Soltani offered rare support for Trump's decision. 'Those who have family members in the U.S, it's their right to go, but a bunch of bad people and terrorists and murderers want to go there as well,' he said. 'So his policy is correct. He's doing the right thing.' ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Netanyahu falls short of forming gov't in latest voting projections
According to the survey, current opposition parties would secure 61 seats, excluding Arab parties, or 65 seats, including a party led by Naftali Bennett. Current projections indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would struggle to form a government if elections were held today, according to a Ma'ariv poll published Friday. According to the survey, the current opposition parties would secure 61 seats, excluding the Arab parties, or 65 seats, including a party led byNaftali Bennett. In both scenarios, Netanyahu would fall short of a majority. The survey found that Netanyahu still leads the opposition leaders in terms of suitability for prime minister, with a 17 percent advantage over Yair Lapid and a 10 percent lead over Benny Gantz. However, Naftali Bennett is seen as more suitable for the role than Netanyahu by the Israeli public, with 46 percent support compared to 39 percent for Netanyahu. The poll showed the following results (excluding a party led by Bennett): Likud, headed by Netanyahu, would receive 22 seats; Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, would win 19; the National Unity Party, headed by Benny Gantz, would get 15; the Democrats, headed by Yair Golan, would also receive 15; Yesh Atid, headed by Lapid, would get 12; Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, would secure 10; Otzma Yehudit, headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, would win nine; United Torah Judaism, led by Yitzhak Goldknopf and Moshe Gafni, would win eight; Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, would secure five; and Hadash-Ta'al, led by Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, would get five. The Religious Zionist Party and Balad would not cross the electoral threshold. In the scenario where a party led by Bennett would run, it would receive 27 seats, overtaking Likud, which would then receive 20 seats. The Democrats would win 11; Yisrael Beytenu would secure 10; Shas and Yesh Atid would both win nine; the National Unity Party would secure eight; Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism would each get eight; Ra'am would win six; and Hadash-Ta'al would secure four. The survey also examined public opinion on an Israeli strike against Iran. A majority of Israelis (55 percent) expressed support for an attack. Of these, 34 percent favor an immediate strike even without US approval, while another 21 percent believe it should take place only with American approval. About 24 percent said Israel should wait for the outcome of negotiations between Iran and the United States, seven percent believe it is too late for an attack, and 14 percent are undecided. Among coalition voters, 56 percent support a strike even without US approval, compared with 34 percent among opposition voters, who prefer waiting for American approval. The poll, conducted for Ma'ariv by the Lazar Research Institute, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in collaboration with Panel4All, has a maximum sampling error of 4.4 percent.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New EU-Ukraine agri trade quotas to be 'in between' current deal and wartime exemptions
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union and Ukraine are negotiating a new deal that will set import quotas on agricultural goods from Ukraine somewhere "in between" current levels and the temporary exemptions granted after Russia's 2022 invasion, the EU's agriculture commissioner told Reuters. The EU temporarily waived duties and quotas on agricultural products in June 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion to help Ukraine compensate for the higher costs of its exports, after Russia threatened its traditional Black Sea shipping lanes. Those tariff suspensions expired on Thursday. The EU and Ukraine reverted to the pre-war regime of trade quotas on Friday, while the two sides negotiate a new longer-term deal - in which Brussels is seeking to strike a balance between supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, and heeding European farmers' concerns about cheaper Ukrainian imports. "What will be negotiated will be something in between the quotas under the existing DCFTA and the autonomous trade measures, the volumes that have been exported there," EU agriculture commissioner Christophe Hansen said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. The DCFTA refers to Ukraine and the EU's pre-war trade deal. The EU's "autonomous trade measures" temporarily suspended quotas on Ukrainian imports from 2022. Ukraine's farm minister Vitaliy Koval told Reuters this week that Kyiv was pushing for an agreement on higher quotas than it had before the war. EU farmers have complained that large shipments of cheaper Ukrainian sugar imports under the wartime tariff exemptions have undercut local supplies. The EU triggered "emergency brakes" to re-impose quotas on products including sugar and eggs in the past year, in response to surging imports. The EU's Ukrainian sugar imports soared to 400,000 tons in the 2022/23 season and over 500,000 tons in 2023/24, far exceeding the pre-war quota of 20,000 tons. Hansen said the new quotas on sugar would be "significantly higher" than those under the pre-war arrangements. "I think we can absorb a certain amount of those products," he said, while noting sensitivities around sugar, poultry and eggs. Negotiations on the new EU-Ukraine deal started on June 2. Hansen said it was feasible a deal could be reached by summer. "It depends now on both sides, I think technically that could be feasible," he said. Agricultural goods accounted for about 60% of Ukraine's total exports last year, with the EU buying around 60% of those goods, worth about $15 billion. A senior Ukrainian lawmaker said last month the loss of tariff-free access to the EU market could cost the country 3.5 billion euros ($3.99 billion) in annual revenue. "Our solidarity with Ukraine is as firm as ever, and therefore we are very committed to deliver this agreement as quickly as possible," Hansen said. The pre-war quota regime, which applies as of Friday, also includes lighter rules on import licenses for some goods like poultry and eggs, where instead of requiring licenses, quotas will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. ($1 = 0.8763 euros)
