AUSTIN, Texas — Texas became the latest state to enact a host of public health measures driven by the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda with new laws taking aim at additives and sugary foods.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the Legislature on Wednesday as he joined Gov. Greg Abbott at a signing ceremony for a trio of MAHA-inspired bills.
“There are no states, with the possible exception of Louisiana, that have done more far-reaching legislation than this, and there’s no state that fought a harder battle to get here,” Kennedy said, adding that Texas is “leading the nation” in his MAHA push.
Abbott said, “Texas is doing its part to make Texas healthy again by the laws I’m signing today.”
One of the measures will implement sweeping fitness and nutrition education requirements in public schools, in addition to requiring a stark warning on food products that contain any of 44 additives the state has identified as harmful.
The warning will apply to food manufacturers using additives such as bleached flour, partially hydrogenated oil and many common food dyes. Starting in 2027, they will need to include a prominent label on those products that reads: “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.”
The state Senate unanimously passed the labeling bill, which received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House.
Another of the bills signed into law prohibits recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly known as food stamps, from using the funds for sweetened beverages and candy, a plan that drew the ire of state food banks but also passed with bipartisan support.
“Taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund chronic health problems in our state,” Abbott said.
The third bill requires school districts to eliminate certain additives from free and reduced price school lunches.
MAHA in the states
Kennedy’s proposals have had more success at the state level than in Washington, where legislation would require support from Senate Democrats. He has argued that states can help accomplish MAHA’s goals by pressuring food manufacturers to change their nationwide practices.
“I told President Trump that we are going to end the chronic disease epidemic. We can’t do it from Washington,” Kennedy said Wednesday.
“The food companies are coming to us — 40% of food manufacturers have agreed to remove the nine synthetic petroleum-based dyes from their food. Why did they do that? They didn’t do it because they are scared of me. They did it because they are scared of what’s happening here in Texas today,” he said.
But Texas is still notably behind in many critical public health metrics, particularly health insurance: It has the highest uninsured rate in the country.
Kennedy is hoping Texas can do more to advance his policy goals, specifically on ivermectin. Its most common use is in livestock, but Kennedy has promoted it for potential alternative uses to treat the coronavirus, and he wants to clear the way for ivermectin to be purchased over the counter.
A bill to do just that passed the Texas House on a mostly party-line vote Wednesday.
“I think it’s a really good bill,” Kennedy said. “I think Americans should have the choice.”
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