"What The Texas Food Label Law Means For The Rest Of America"

"The measure applies to 44 dyes or additives commonly found in baked goods, candy and drinks, and could force the food industry to change what it sells." 

"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed sweeping legislation Sunday to slap warning labels on potentially tens of thousands of food and beverage packages — a move that could have ripple effects across the country.

The first-of-its-kind legislation requires labels on foods containing 44 dyes or additives commonly found in the country’s food supply, such as in baked goods, candy and drinks. The new mandate will set off a scramble within the food industry, which must decide whether to reformulate its products to avoid warning labels, add the newly mandated language, stop selling certain products in Texas or file lawsuits against the measure.

“When a state as big as Texas requires a warning, that will have an impact on the entire marketplace. No question,” said Scott Faber, a senior vice president at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocating stronger food safety policies.

The move comes as Republican-leaning states have been racing to embrace Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda aimed at addressing chronic disease and childhood illness. But the effort from Texas — a deep-red state — is particularly striking, food safety experts said. Policies cracking down on the nation’s food supply have often come from big blue states, such as California, and have led food companies to rapidly alter their products."

Rachel Roubein reports for the Washington Post June 23, 2025.

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Source: Washington Post, 06/24/2025