From the Texas Rule
Sec. 431.0815. FOOD CONTAINING ARTIFICIAL COLOR, ADDITIVES, OR CERTAIN BANNED CHEMICALS. (a) A food manufacturer shall ensure each food product the manufacturer offers for sale in this state includes a warning label disclosing the use of any of the following ingredients, if the United States Food and Drug Administration requires the ingredient to be named on a food label and the ingredient is used in a product intended for human consumption:
The warning label must: (1) include the following statement if the food contains an ingredient listed in Subsection (a), printed in a font size not smaller than the smallest font used to disclose other consumer information required by the United States Food and Drug Administration:
“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.";
Many of these ingredients have been long used in the US and are in many of the foods we eat....well, foods I eat....you know, those highly processed foods like potato chips and snack cakes.
Here are some from the list which I knew to be readily used.
(Entire list - https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB25/id/3247967 about half way down the webpage)
- Bleached flour is treated white flour treated creating a softer texture that absorbs more liquid, making it great for delicate cakes, cookies, and pie crusts
- BHA and BHT - synthetic antioxidants used as preservatives in foods (cereals, chips, meats, etc) to prevent fats and oils from going rancid
- Diacetyl occurs naturally and it gives butter its characteristic taste. Because of this, manufacturers of artificial butter flavoring, margarines or similar oil-based products typically add diacetyl to give that characteristic aroma/flavor.
- Potassium aluminum sulfate is a firming agent for pickles, leavening in baking, pH control
- Sodium aluminum sulfate is used in baking powder as a slow-acting leavening agent
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is an emulsifier/thickener in some dried eggs, marshmallows, and beverage bases
- Stearyl tartrate is an emulsifier and dough strengthener to improve dough texture
- Stearyl tartrate acts as a dough strengthener, emulsifier, and stabilizer in foods, improving consistency
To heck with the sugar in that pack of Ho-Hos, it is the dough conditioner you have to worry about.
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/food-industry-groups-sue-texas-over-ingredient-warning-labels-2025-12-08/
Food industry groups sue Texas over ingredient warning labels
By Dietrich Knauth
December 8, 20251:54 PM ESTUpdated December 8, 2025
Summary
Trade groups say proposed labels are misleading, violate First Amendment
Texas law requires new warnings for 44 ingredients deemed unsafe by other countries
Dec 8 (Reuters) - Food industry trade groups have sued Texas over a new state law that requires warning labels for ingredients like food dyes and preservatives, saying that the new labels violate companies’ free speech rights and risk confusing customers.
The plaintiffs, which include the American Beverage Association and Food Industry Association, asked a federal judge on Friday to block a part of Texas Senate Bill 25, also known as “Make Texas Healthy Again,” which was signed into law in June.
Section 9 of the law requires food manufacturers to include warning labels on products that include 44 listed ingredients, including artificial additives, dyes and chemicals, informing customers that governments in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom have labeled the ingredients as “not recommended for human consumption.”
The food industry groups argue that the proposed warning labels, which will be required starting in January 2027, are “false and misleading.” The foreign governments cited in the Texas labeling law do not categorically describe the listed ingredients as "not recommended for human consumption," and they allow many of them to be used in food, according to the lawsuit.
“The listed ingredients have been used safely in American foods and beverages for decades,” the groups said in their complaint. “Section 9’s warning requirement compels businesses to tell Texas consumers that the enumerated ingredients are “not recommended for human consumption” abroad — even when that isn’t true.”
The Texas labeling requirement violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment free speech protections, as well as the Commerce Clause by giving one state undue influence over interstate commerce, and it is pre-empted by federal regulations, according to the lawsuit.
Most of the listed ingredients have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and some are already subject to federal labeling requirements. A few — including certain red dyes and synthetic trans fatty acids — have already been banned by the FDA, according to the lawsuit. The labeling requirement will increase costs for the food industry well before the January 2027 start date, because companies will have to either change their ingredients completely, or spend money to redesign packaging, adjust supply chains, and implement new compliance systems.
The law, inspired by the Trump administration’s "Make America Healthy Again" policies, also mandates physical education classes for young children, requires nutrition and wellness curricula for high-school students, and creates a Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee.
The law’s sponsor, Republican state senator Lois Kolkhorst, said in June that the law was meant to help families make better choices.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/food-industry-groups-sue-texas-over-ingredient-warning-labels-2025-12-08/
No comments:
Post a Comment