Texas Becomes First State To Enact Full Set Of MAHA Reforms

A legislative package to “Make Texas Healthy Again” is going into effect after Gov. Greg Abbott signed three bills into law.

Texas was the first state to implement a “Make America Again Healthy” package as part of the national movement led by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a similar measure on Friday alongside Kennedy, The Center Square reported.

Unlike Landry, Abbott didn’t hold a bill signing event, but Kennedy did weigh in on Texas’ legislative package on social media, saying, “Texas is leading the way.” Thanking Abbott and the bills’ sponsors, he called governors nationwide “to join us in our pursuit to Make America Healthy Again.”

The legislative package was spearheaded by state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, who shepherded through SB 25, SB 314, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, and SB 379 filed by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston.

SB 25, the first of its kind in Texas and the country, requires the food industry to either remove more than 40 harmful chemicals and additives from processed foods or add warning labels for products sold in Texas.

When introducing it in February, Kolkhorst pointed to President Donald Trump’s executive order establishing a “Make America Healthy Again” commission, saying that “Texas is joining this effort with legislation.”

SB 25 creates additional regulations, expands the size of government bureaucracy and expands physical education requirements for public schools, The Center Square reported.

It amends the Texas Health and Safety Code to mandate that a warning label be placed on foods that contain any one of 44 artificial additives, dyes and chemicals. The label is to read: “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.”

It requires medical schools to teach nutrition curriculum, requires physicians to take nutrition continuing education classes, and creates a half credit for all high school students and all state colleges. It creates a Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee, tasking members with examining the scientific link between ultra processed foods and chronic diseases and making recommendations to the legislature. The committee is also tasked with developing nutrition curriculum for Texas medical schools, colleges and public schools “without any influence or conflicts of interest from food industry insiders.”