Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 21 signed into law over 300 bills passed during the Texas Legislature’s 89th Regular Session, and among those bills was Senate Bill 25, known as the “Make Texas Healthy Again” bill.

Food Safety Magazine reported last week that the bill was sitting on Governor Abbott's desk.

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who authored SB 25, has specifically tied the legislation to the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda.

Similar to the MAHA agenda, SB 25 has a strong focus on ultra-processed foods and food additives.

SB 25 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

SB 25 requires members of the advisory committee to: 

• 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.

And, 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.”