RFK Jr says Texas’ MAHA legislation is model for other states to follow

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Gov. Greg Abbott and roughly 70 state lawmakers at a ceremony in Austin on Wednesday celebrating a bill package they passed to implement health and food safety reforms.

“I’ve been to many, many states,” Kennedy said, “but there are no states, with the exception of Louisiana,” that have passed legislation like Texas has, he said. “I am so happy that the leadership in this state stepped up to end the problem of chronic disease.”

Kennedy said since the “Make America Healthy Again” movement began, “40% of food manufacturers in this country have now agreed to remove nine synthetic petroleum-based dyes from their food."

“Why did they do that? They didn’t do that because they’re scared of me," he said. "They did it because they’re scared of what’s happening in Texas today.”

He also highlighted other bills the legislature passed that he said would help Americans nationwide, including banning lab-based meat. Texas was the seventh state to implement a ban this year, The Center Square reported.

Abbott said Kennedy “catalyzed a movement to make America healthy again, and now Texas is doing his part to make Texas healthy” through a bipartisan bill package.

The bills he signed represent “one of the most prolific bipartisan pieces of legislation that was passed” during the regular legislative session, he said. “Doesn't matter if you're a Democrat, Republican, whatever the case may be, every legislator in Texas wants to see Texas put on a pathway to be healthier.”

“Making Texas healthy is not complicated,” Abbott continued. “Eating right, exercising, doing the things that will help to prevent illness. Chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes are due in part to ultra processed foods, poor nutrition and lack of exercise.”

The Make Texas Healthy Again package Abbott signed into law earlier this year includes three bills. They were the first to be signed into law in the country, The Center Square reported. On Wednesday, Abbott ceremonially signed them into law.

They include SB 25, filed by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Rep. Lacey Hull, which 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. It requires warning labels to be placed on foods that contain any one of 44 artificial additives, dyes and chemicals. It also creates additional regulations, expands the size of government bureaucracy and expands physical education requirements for public schools; 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, among other measures. It becomes effective Sept. 1.

It also includes SB 314, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes and Rep. Caroline Harris-Davila, which bans “seven of the most dangerous chemicals in foods” in free or reduced public school lunches and breakfasts, including multiple synthetic food dyes. It affects more than 3 million students and over 8,000 schools statewide. It became effective on May 27 when it was signed into law.

SB 379, filed by Sen. Mayes Middleton and Rep. Stan Gerdes, prohibits junk food from being eligible for SNAP benefits. It goes into effect Sept. 1.

The federal program administered by the state “is supposed to promote health and well-being,” Middleton said. “As we know, taxpayer funded junk food turns into taxpayer funded healthcare. That’s why this issue is so important.”

Junk food like chips, candy, cookies and others “aren’t even satisfying the intent of the SNAP program to begin with,” he said. “We want to make sure that we're providing healthy and nutritious food for Texans in need and right now those foods do not do that.”

Currently, the top SNAP purchase is sugary drinks, Kolkhorst’s office said.

“Our nation spends more on healthcare than any other nation in the world, but our life expectancy ranks last among the G7 nations,” Kolkhorst said. The new laws make Texas “a national leader in Secretary Kennedy’s effort to Make America Healthy Again.”