Latest news with #Mihalek
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Food dye ban, whole milk in schools part of Pa. Republicans' MAHA push
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Sign up for free here. Republican lawmakers concerned about nutrition quality in Pennsylvania schools have introduced bills that would ban food dyes and allow whole milk, changes they argue will improve student health. Similar legislation introduced in recent sessions did not advance, but one sponsor of the latest measures told Spotlight PA she thinks growing public concerns about processed food can help the bills pass. Improving child nutrition has become a GOP plank as Robert F. Kennedy, the U.S. health secretary, has criticized food policy as part of his 'Make America Healthy Again' effort. Last week, a long-awaited report from a MAHA commission chaired by Kennedy declared, 'The health of American children is in crisis,' and listed synthetic additives and 'ultra-processed foods' as key contributors. State lawmakers expressed similar urgency: 'Our food is literally killing us,' reads the memo for the Healthy PA Package, which includes the food dye proposal. Critics argue some of these regulations are unnecessary given existing state and federal consumer protections. And they question the scientific basis of the proposals. Title: Healthy Student Act Prime sponsor: State Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R., Allegheny) Summary: This bill would ban public schools from purchasing or serving foods containing certain synthetic food dyes. Mihalek, a parent, told Spotlight PA that the proposal was inspired by 'keeping track of what my kids are buying in the cafeteria.' She thinks current food offerings are unnecessarily limited. 'The reality is, there are so many more choices — so many healthier choices — out there. There's really no reason to be selling artificial dyes to our kids,' Mihalek said. Her bill targets six petroleum-based synthetic dyes — Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 — and would not allow foods containing them to be sold on school grounds 'during the school day,' including in vending machines. The bill does not specify consequences for failing to comply or detail how the ban would be enforced. Mihalek hopes that a growing interest in healthier diets, spurred by Kennedy's political rise, will help move the bill to the governor's desk. 'This is just something that came to the forefront and now everybody's talking about it,' Mihalek said. Kennedy has received backlash for his wavering positions on the safety of vaccines and his leadership of the federal health system. In recent months, thousands of public health workers have been laid off under a restructuring he's helmed. The dyes included in Mihalek's bill are approved by the FDA, but Kennedy announced last month that he plans for the agency to begin pushing companies to 'voluntarily phase out' the chemicals. Other states have enacted similar measures in recent years. California and West Virginia ban the same synthetic food dyes from food in schools, or more broadly. While there is no definitive proof that synthetic dyes directly cause behavioral issues, some studies have suggested a link between artificial food coloring and hyperactivity and anxiety in certain children. The proposed prohibition wouldn't take effect until July 2027, a timeline Mihalek said would give school districts time to prepare and identify alternative vendors before the changes are implemented. Spotlight PA reached out to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association about the impact that the proposal would have on districts, but a spokesperson declined to comment. Mihalek introduced the measure as part of a broader package of bills focused on food safety and public health. The package includes bills targeting food labeling and ingredients for all Pennsylvanians, including one that would mandate disclosure of the above dyes for any food product sold or manufactured in the commonwealth. The healthy students bill has been referred to the state House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee, but has not been brought up for a vote. The Democratic-led committee recently held a hearing on food policy that included a discussion of a potential ban on artificial food dyes, indicating growing interest in advancing related legislation. Business representatives opposed such a ban during the hearing, arguing it would impose unnecessary regulations. 'At the end of the day, this is all done while no meaningful improvement in public safety outcomes is made,' Aaron Riggleman of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry said at the hearing. 'Because the ingredients have already been reviewed and thoroughly vetted by the FDA.' Title: Whole Milk in Pennsylvania Schools Act Prime sponsor: State Sen. Michele Brooks (R., Mercer) Summary: This bill would allow Pennsylvania schools to purchase and serve whole and 2% milk produced within the state. Currently, Pennsylvania schools can only offer 1% or non-fat milk, a restriction stemming from a 2010 federal law. The law was aimed at reducing childhood obesity and improving overall nutrition, but Brooks argues whole milk was unnecessarily restricted. 'Thirty years ago, 35 years ago, kids weren't nearly as obese … and we drank whole milk. There was literally cream on top of the milk,' Brooks told Spotlight PA. 'I think there's other ways that we can work on [this.]' Whole milk contains more calories and saturated fat than non- and low-fat milk. But it also has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for brain development and heart health. Brooks wants to give school districts the option to purchase whole milk, and noted that the bill would not require them to do so. She said that she's heard from her constituents that kids routinely throw away skim milk because they don't like the taste, adding that it is 'somewhat absurd that [the regulation] was done in the first place.' A range of lawmakers, including Brooks, have proposed this legislation multiple times, but such a proposal has never made it far in the legislative process. Currently, the bill is awaiting consideration in her chamber's Education Committee. While the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, which represents farmers, has previously supported the measure, school districts have remained silent. A PSBA spokesperson declined to comment on the organization's position. If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pa. House committee advances bill requiring food allergy warnings
A Pennsylvania House committee advanced a bill that would require restaurants and other establishments to post warnings about the dangers of food allergies. According to a co-sponsorship memo, more than 33 million Americans have food allergies, leading to 200 deaths per year. Nearly half of the fatal food allergy reactions over a 13-year period show that this was caused by food from a restaurant or other food service establishments. House Bill 77, sponsored by state Reps. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny) and Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny), aims to protect those with food allergies dining in Pennsylvania. 'The bill requires that food establishments, food resale establishments, have posters in their serving areas about the dangers of food allergies, and also have warnings on their menus or in other printed materials so that people can convey that information as part of the food retail process,' Venkat said Tuesday. Venkat, a physician, described food allergies as an epidemic in society and said he's treated more than his fair share of those patients. He mentioned that a family from his district had a child who died after an accidental exposure to an allergen via cross contamination from a restaurant. 'It's a simple change, but it could have a big impact,' Mihalek said. 'And just like so many other issues, Pennsylvania is sort of behind the eight ball on this.' Texas, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are among the states that have already enacted similar legislation, according to the co-sponsorship memo. The bill passed the House during the previous session in March by a 148-53 vote, but did not advance in the state Senate. 'This is happening in a lot of other states where we're just requiring those servers and managers at the restaurants to be a little more educated, a little more aware, and a little more communicative with their patrons at their establishments,' Mihalek said. The legislation was approved by the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee by a 20-6 vote on Tuesday, with every Democrat voting to support the legislation, while Republicans were split 6-6. State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton), who voted against the legislation, said she cares about people with food allergies, but added that many restaurants are already providing these materials and is concerned about the Department of Agriculture getting involved. 'I was at Subway the other day. They already have this on their display. You could [use]…a QR code, and get the allergy information,' Borowicz said. 'The last thing I want to do is make restaurants subject to the Department of Ag, having to comply, and then turn it in, make sure it's appropriate, make sure that they accept it and then turn it back in,' she added. 'It's just another level of government for the restaurants to have to deal with.' State Rep. Joe Hamm (R-Lycoming) also voted against the legislation. He agreed it was a topic that should be treated seriously, but said small business owners 'are under attack' with regulations and red tape. Hamm also worried the bill could open up small businesses to litigation if there are any mistakes from the posters. Venkat responded that the legislation would protect small business owners from litigation as long as they follow the protocol of listing the menu disclaimers, educational posters, and food safety training. The committee also advanced legislation that would allow anyone who is legally working in the U.S. to become a 'certified poultry technician' upon completion of the state Department of Agriculture course. The bill by state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, a Democrat from Berks County, moved out of the committee on a 20-6 vote with all Democrats voting in the affirmative and Republicans being evenly split 6-6. Cepeda-Freytiz said the state poultry industry has 'required significantly more certified poultry technicians than ever before as they work to protect their flocks from highly pathogenic avian influenza.' She added that large poultry companies have flagged several cases in which employees were unable to be licensed as poultry technicians because they are not citizens. The legislation passed in the previous session in July by a 166-36 vote, but was not approved by the state Senate. Per a co-sponsorship memo, certified poultry technicians, who collect poultry samples for testing, are 'key to preventing the spread' of High-Path Avian Influenza and that 'many individuals who work in Pennsylvania's poultry operations are not U.S. citizens,' despite being able to legally work on farms in the United States. Borowicz said she didn't like that the legislation would allow noncitizens to obtain the certification and had concerns about the secretary of agriculture's authority to issue quarantine orders on avian influenza. She argued to state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne), chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, that the bill is government overreach, drawing a parallel to how the state responded to the coronavirus pandemic. 'We're on a precipice of something that could be a national emergency,' Pashinski said, to which Borowicz responded 'right, just like COVID.' Pashinski said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding is 'highly qualified and has demonstrated his ability to manage the ag industry in Pennsylvania.'
