(AUSTIN, TX) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday, June 22, signed into law Senate Bill 25, the legislation known as “Make Texas Healthy Again.” The sweeping legislation that is garnering national attention is authored by Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) and is the first of its kind in the nation, requiring 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.

“This legislation came about after listening to constituents who care about their overall health and they sense that something is wrong,” stated Kolkhorst. “Our nation spends more on healthcare than any other nation in the world, and yet our life expectancy ranks last among the G7 nations. We should ask why. It is time something is done, and SB 25 is a good start.”

Prior to signing the groundbreaking legislation, Governor Abbott had a productive meeting with Senator Kolkhorst, White House Advisor Calley Means, and other key players to discuss the merits and positive implications of the bill.

This week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, posted on his official X account, “Texas is leading the way.” Thanking Governor Abbott, Senator Kolkhorst, and House sponsor, Representative Lacey Hull (R-Houston), he added, “I call on governors across the nation to join us in our pursuit to Make America Healthy Again.”

As written, SB 25 has four pillars, each designed to provide guidance and contribute to the overall effectiveness of the legislation. The first pillar is the application of warning labels 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.”

A second pillar calls for nutrition courses for all medical and nursing students so physicians and nurses have a functional knowledge of diet and food choices in connection with chronic illnesses.

The third pillar in SB 25 creates the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee to research connections between ultra-processed foods, artificial additives, and dyes, and the increase in chronic diseases. Based on this research, the Committee will develop the curriculum for nutrition

classes offered in Texas medical schools, colleges, and public schools, without any influence or conflicts of interest from food industry insiders.

And finally, the fourth pillar of SB 25 protects physical education (PE) and recess for students, ensuring physical activity during the school day. Under SB 25, participation in recess or PE classes cannot be restricted as a punishment for a student’s academic performance or behavior.

“Immediately after Governor Abbott signed the bill into law, I began to receive messages from people across Texas and beyond, many of them parents who have demanded better food information and nutritional sources for their family,” Kolkhorst said. “That is the heart of SB 25 — to help all of us make better choices for our families. With this legislation, I am hopeful that food manufacturers will remove the harmful ingredients and choose not to have to label their products.”

Passing through the Texas Senate in March with massive support, SB 25 successfully passed the Texas House under the sponsorship of Rep. Hull, where the bill survived over a dozen attempts to either kill or weaken the proposed new health and nutrition policies. After hours of debate, the legislation passed the House by a large bipartisan margin.

“Amazingly, this was the single most lobbied-against bill in the state of Texas this year – with back-room arguments to oppose consumer transparency, nutrition education, and expanded recesses for kids,” said White House Advisor Calley Means on his X account. “Common sense is winning.”

Despite coordinated opposition, Senate Bill 25 continues to gain national and worldwide media attention due to its comprehensive approach to improving public health. As public policy debates over food safety and nutrition intensify, industry eyes are focused on how this bill could reshape America's dietary landscape, potentially prompting a reevaluation of food policies by the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture.

“I am grateful to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick for making this a priority bill and for the intense debate about the relationship between ultra-processed foods, harmful additives, and chronic illnesses,” said Kolkhorst. “Secretary Kennedy and others have brought this issue to the forefront. This bill had a great deal of pushback from the food industry, which chose to weaken or defeat the bill instead of addressing the motivating issue of chronic disease. Now my hope is that our work will build momentum for other states to use SB 25 as a template and pass similar legislation. When we give people more information to make healthier choices, we also give them a longer and more productive life.”

SB 25 was a package of three bills in the movement of “Make Texas Healthy Again,” along with SB 314 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) and SB 379 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston).

SB 314 improves the quality of lunches for public school students by banning seven of the most dangerous chemicals in foods where children have no other option: the free or reduced school lunch and breakfast programs in our public schools. Each of the seven chemicals is linked to potential harm to human health.

Middleton’s SB 379 would restrict what can be bought with taxpayer-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This bill tightens the broader federal regulations that permit the use of SNAP for most food products. Under SB 379, the State of Texas would ask for a waiver from the USDA to exclude sugary drinks and candy as eligible items that can be purchased using SNAP. Currently, the No. 1 purchase with SNAP is sugary drinks. The goal of SB 379 is to encourage individuals who receive government assistance for food to purchase healthier alternatives.

All three bills were signed by Governor Abbott and will be effective September 1, 2025.

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