(NewsNation) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed three bills Wednesday to improve public health by restricting synthetic food additives in schools and requiring clearer nutrition labeling, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling the legislation a model for the nation.
The “Make Texas Healthy Again Act,” Senate Bill 25, mandates nutrition education across K-12 schools, higher education and health care settings while requiring clear labeling on packaged foods containing ingredients banned in other countries.
The measure takes effect Sept. 1.
Abbott also signed Senate Bill 314, which prohibits schools participating in federal lunch programs from serving foods with additives linked to disease, diabetes and obesity.
A third measure, Senate Bill 379, bars the use of SNAP benefits to purchase sweetened drinks and candy.
“Making Texas healthy is not complicated,” Abbott said during the signing ceremony. “The usual stuff — eating right, exercising, doing the things that will help to prevent illness.”
Kennedy praised Texas as leading the nation in health initiatives, citing alarming statistics about childhood health.
He said 38% of American teens are diabetic or prediabetic, compared to near-zero rates when his uncle was president.
“We are the sickest population in the world,” Kennedy said. “We know it’s the food we are eating.”
The health secretary said the federal government spends $405 million daily on food stamps, with 10% going to sugary drinks and 8% to candy. He called it a cycle of “poisoning” children with food stamps, then paying for their medical care through Medicaid.
Kennedy announced that 40% of food manufacturers have agreed to remove nine synthetic dyes from their products in response to state-level initiatives like Texas’s legislation.
The bipartisan measures mirror similar efforts in nearly three dozen states this year targeting synthetic food dyes, additives and nutrition labeling.
The label 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.”
Abbott has positioned the legislation as a win for public health, though critics argue the additive list includes items that are already banned in the U.S.
Dr. Frita McRae Fisher told NewsNation that, while she supports the new law, the politicians behind it are sending mixed signals.
“Gov. Abbott and RFK Jr. are actually a bit paradoxical, like a walking conflict,” Fisher said. “Because at the same time, they promote many policies and theories that can be detrimental to the health of Texans.”
Kennedy has come under fire for his response to Texas’ measles outbreak as well as comments about the efficacy of vaccinations.
“I just think we need a lot of consistency from leadership. This is a good start, but we definitely need more in order to make Texas, and America, healthy,” Fisher said.
Along with imposing additive-warning labels, Texas has worked toward bolstering nutrition and physical health programs in education and established a Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee.