MAHA-Similar Bill that Passed Texas Legislature Now Sits on Governor’s Desk
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The “Make Texas Healthy Again” bill that recently passed the Texas legislature now sits on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.
While Abbott has not said whether he intends to sign Senate Bill 25 into law, the bill received full-throated support from Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick as it made its way through the legislature.
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who authored SB 25, has specifically tied the legislation to the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda.
SB 25 requires food labels to warn Texas consumers which ingredients are banned in other countries starting in 2027.
Additionally, the bill requires nutrition education for students in Texas high schools and institutions of higher learning, along with updated nutrition training for all Texas physicians, medical residents, nurses, physician assistants, and medical students.
SB 25 also calls for establishing a nutrition advisory committee at the Department of State Health Services with a focus on metabolic health, functional medicine, and chronic disease.
Ultra-Processed Foods
Similar to the Trump Administration’s MAHA agenda, SB 25 also has a strong focus on ultra-processed foods and would require members of the advisory committee to:
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- Examine the impact of nutrition on human health and examine the connection between ultra-processed foods—including foods containing artificial color and food additives—and the prevalence of chronic diseases and other chronic health issues
- Provide an independent review of scientific studies analyzing the effects of ultra-processed foods on human health
- Provide education on the effects of ultra-processed foods on human health.
Labels Disclosing Food Additives
SB 25 also calls for warning labels in connection with 44 food additives, including several different dyes, propylparaben, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and titanium dioxide.
“A food manufacturer shall ensure each food product the manufacturer offers for sale in this state includes a warning label disclosing the use of any of the following ingredients, if the United States Food and Drug Administration requires the ingredient to be named on a food label and the ingredient is used in a product intended for human consumption,” the bill states before listing the 44 food additives.
Also, when appropriate, the label must include the statement: "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.”
