Texas set to implement major nutrition reform in huge win for MAHA

In a major win for the Make America Healthy Again movement, Texas is set to enact a law implementing significant measures related to nutrition.

Nutrition education

SB 25, which was sent to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk on Sunday for his signature, amends the Texas Education Code by requiring government-funded high schools to offer an elective course on nutrition and wellness. It also requires medical schools that receive government funding to make nutrition a mandatory part of the curriculum. This is in contrast to medical schools like University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) Dell Medical School, which warns students against “fatphobia” and frames obesity as a benign lifestyle choice rather than a serious health risk. 

The legislation would also require the Texas Medical Board to include courses on nutrition and metabolic health among the continuing education requirements for physicians. 

The Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee

These nutrition courses will be based on guidelines set by the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee, a new public health body established by the legislation. The committee will be composed of seven members, including a functional doctor, a member of the Texas Department of Agriculture, a representative of a rural community, a representative of an urban community, a pediatrician specializing in metabolic health, and another expert who specializes either in metabolic health, culinary medicine, lifestyle medicine, or integrative medicine. The committee members must not have any financial stake in food or pharmaceutical companies.

As part of its overall focus on nutrition, the committee will specifically concentrate on the health impact of ultra-processed foods, particularly those containing additives and dyes, and how they contribute to chronic illness.

Warning labels

The new law would require food manufacturers to place the following warning on products containing bleached flour, seed oils, certain food dyes, or other chemicals:

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.

Ingredients that require the above label also include food coloring certified by the FDA. The requirement will not, however, apply to medications, dietary supplements, products already containing a warning from the Surgeon General, or any product regulated by the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Sharyl Attkisson reports that the bill originally included aspartame and high fructose corn syrup as ingredients that require a warning, but removed those two due to pressure from Big Food. The food industry is also urging Governor Abbott to veto the bipartisan bill, which he is unlikely to do.

‍