A bipartisan bill out of Texas, awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott's signature, could change food and drink packaging as we know it nationwide.
Texas Senate Bill 25 passed unanimously in the state senate before being forwarded to Abbott's desk on June 1, where it is under review. Among provisions for education on nutrition and health, one set of proposed regulations would require that packaging for food or drink items contain warnings about ingredients "not recommended for human consumption."
The commonly used ingredients listed in the bill are legal to use in the U.S., but most are subject to some sort of ban or more stringent regulation in other countries
State lawmaker Rep. Lacey Hull told Bloomberg that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called her to voice his support for the bill, which aligns with initiatives in his "Make America Healthy Again" movement. HHS press secretary Emily G. Hilliard told USA TODAY in an email that, "Secretary Kennedy encourages states to promote healthy practices and enhance consumer transparency in food labeling. Americans deserve to know what’s in their food so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families."
While the bill managed to reach across a contentious political aisle, it is not universally popular. John Hewitt, Senior Vice President of State Affairs for the Consumer Brands Association, urged the governor not to sign it in a statement shared with USA TODAY, saying, "The ingredients used in the U.S. food supply are safe and have been rigorously studied following an objective science and risk-based evaluation process. The labeling requirements of SB 25 mandate inaccurate warning language, create legal risks for brands and drive consumer confusion and higher costs."
