Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a sweeping new health law that’s already being called the most aggressive state-level legislation in the country targeting processed food, childhood obesity, and chronic disease. Senate Bill 25, dubbed the “Make Texas Healthy Again Act,” sets a new national standard—and a challenge—for how far states can go in reclaiming control of public health from industry influence.

Warning Labels for Junk Food? Texas Says Yes

Starting September 1, food manufacturers selling products in Texas will have to slap bold warning labels on anything containing a list of over 40 artificial additives. These include common food dyes like Red 40 and Blue 1, which have been linked to cancer and neurological issues, as well as controversial substances like titanium dioxide and lye. If the ingredient is banned or flagged by regulators in the EU, Canada, the UK, or Australia, Texas wants it flagged here, too.

Products that don’t comply can trigger state-level lawsuits and fines of up to $50,000 per day—per product.

Fitness and Nutrition Required in Schools and Medical Training

The bill doesn’t stop at labeling. It mandates at least 30 minutes of “moderate or vigorous” physical activity every day in public schools. Recess is protected by law—schools can no longer eliminate it. Health-related higher education institutions must now include curriculum focused on nutrition and metabolic health.

Even doctors aren’t exempt. Physicians renewing their licenses in Texas will now need to complete continuing education in metabolic science—a clear nod to the growing movement that views conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease through the lens of food toxicity, not just genetics or personal choice.

Meet the Minds Behind the Bill

SB 25 was heavily influenced by Calley Means, co-author of a bestselling book on metabolic health and a close ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Means was present at the signing and hailed the law as “historic.” He described it as the most heavily lobbied-against bill in Texas this year, suggesting powerful food and pharmaceutical interests fought hard to keep it from becoming law.

His sister, Dr. Casey Means, is Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General and a noted critic of Big Food and the healthcare establishment’s failure to address root causes of disease.

Creating a New Health Curriculum from the Ground Up

The law also creates the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee. This body will study the connection between ultra-processed foods, chemical additives, and chronic disease. The research findings will then be used to shape nutrition curricula across the state—from elementary schools to universities.

State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, the bill’s primary sponsor, emphasized the need for independent science, free from industry-funded bias, to guide public health decisions. “We need to stop pretending it’s normal for a third of children to be sick,” she posted.

A Broader National Movement?

Texas may be the first to take this leap, but it probably won’t be the last. The MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, championed by RFK Jr. and now embraced by key Trump allies, is pushing similar legislation in other red states. It’s a rare bipartisan point of agreement: both sides of the populist divide seem to want fewer chemicals in food and more accountability from Big Food.

What makes Texas’s law stand out is its teeth. It mandates—not suggests—lifestyle changes and corporate transparency, and it backs them up with serious penalties.

As America struggles with rising obesity rates, record-breaking diabetes diagnoses, and an explosion in metabolic-related disease, Texas is betting that bold action now could avert a public health disaster later.

And whether or not the rest of the country follows, it’s clear: the Lone Star State just became ground zero for the food fight of the decade.