State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Long Neck, Oak Orchard) joined U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials and nutrition advocates in Washington, D.C., on Monday for an event announcing two food-policy initiatives.
Other participants and speakers included Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Kyle Diamantas and cardiologist and Food Is Medicine Institute Director Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian.
The first development is a proposed rule on food additives termed “Generally Recognized as Safe.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed making such notifications mandatory. Under the system that has been in place since 1997, companies could self-determine that substances such as additives, flavors, emulsifiers, and preservatives are safe for use in human or animal food without notifying the FDA.
While the new FDA proposal would not eliminate the generally recognized as safe standard, it would reduce an information and transparency gap that has existed for decades.
Also at Monday’s event, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins disclosed that her department has submitted the federal government’s first proposed definition of ultra-processed foods (UPF) for final interagency review. While the wording of the definition has not yet been released to the public, it reportedly draws on thousands of comments from researchers, consumers, and industry executives as well as evidence linking high UPF consumption to chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
According to Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute, 85% of all health care spending is related to the management of diet-related chronic diseases. A 2024 analysis led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that more than half of calories consumed at home by adults in the U.S. come from ultra-processed foods.
The new ultra-processed foods definition is intended to create a standardized foundation for future research, policy, and labeling.
Rep. Hilovsky, a retired medical professional, has been an outspoken proponent of the “food as medicine” movement and serves on Delaware’s Food is Medicine Committee.
Faced with rising healthcare costs, improving public health through increased scrutiny of what and how citizens consume has been of growing interest for Delaware state government.
Last year, Delaware enacted a new bipartisan law to prohibit a potentially harmful food additive from being used in food sold or served in public schools. Authored by State Sen. Eric Buckson (R-Dover), with State Rep. Bryan Shupe (R-Milford South) and Rep. Hilovsky sponsoring the measure in the House, Senate Bill 69 bans the use of Red Dye 40 in any food or beverage served in public schools. The new law will be applied this school year.
Derived from petroleum, Red Dye 40 is widely used in dairy products, baked goods, snacks, and beverages. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated it as “generally recognized as safe,” some studies have shown a correlation between its consumption and hyperactivity, aggression, and other behavioral problems in some children.
Another nutrition-centered measure approved by the General Assembly that aims to improve public health and reduce costs in Delaware is House Bill 305.
Sponsored by Rep. Hilovsky, the legislation provides a framework for a three-year observational study to reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. The pilot program will follow a representative group of diabetic patients as they undergo a new, intensive approach to reverse the progression of the disease. The program will incorporate technology, regular testing, professional management, and incentives to improve outcomes.
According to one recent study, treating people diagnosed with diabetes accounts for about 25% of all healthcare spending.
Federally funded through the Federal Rural Health Transformation Program, the initiative established by HB 305 will carry no direct cost to Delaware taxpayers. Gov. Meyer supports the initiative and is expected to sign the bill into law soon.
IN PHOTO: Calley Means, co-author of the book Good Energy.
