(NewsNation) — Lawmakers in Texas are taking more steps to make the state “healthy again.”
A new bill that was passed unanimously by the state legislature would require junk food like Doritos and Skittles to come with a warning label. The bill is now at Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
Dr. Evan Nadler, a surgeon and founder of Pro-Care Consultants, told NewsNation that any effort to make American food better and healthier is one that everyone should be behind.
“That’s why it was a unanimously supported bill,” Nadler said. “Forcing the food industry to rethink how they color foods or how some foods are manufactured. It’s certainly a welcome step in the right direction.”
Nadler said putting warning labels on foods could actually lead to consumers making better healthier choices, and pointed to sugar, sweet and beverage taxes that are in effect in certain cities across the U.S. and European countries. He added, however,that they have only had a small impact on the consumption of junk foods.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 40% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, and more than 19% of children in the country ages 2 to 19 have obesity. Nadler said it’ll take a multi-pronged approach, aside from warning labels on foods, to tackle the issue and make people in America healthier.
“Changing food quality, policy and making exercise more available helps,” Nadler said. “The reality is that for a lot of people, those have been tried and they don’t really do enough.”
Nadler added that medications and interventions to help with health issues related to obesity need to be more affordable and widely available to people.