Louisiana legislators have passed Senate Bill 14 (SB14), which is a measure aimed at reforming how schools, food manufacturers and restaurants label nutrition and ingredients.

The bill will now go to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk for signature and, after receiving signature, the legislation will go into effect.

This legislation is in alignment with the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which is backed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Louisiana passes Make America Healthy Again bill. How will nutrition be reformed?

Senate Bill 14 stipulates that certain foods be served in schools, education continue for certain healthcare providers, manufacturers disclose certain ingredients and that food establishments disclose usage of seed oils, according to the bill’s text.

How will school food change under SB14?

Under the legislation, public schools will not serve students any food or beverage containing prohibited ingredients, and non-public schools that receive state funding will also not serve any food or beverage containing a prohibited ingredient. This provision applies to breakfasts and lunches served to students on school campuses during regular school hours, however, food in vending machines and concession stands are exempt from this provision, according to SB14.

The prohibited ingredients listed in SB14 include:

• Blue dye 1
• Blue dye 2
• Green dye 3
• Red dye 3
• Red dye 40
• Yellow dye 5
• Yellow dye 6
• Azodicarbonamide
• Butylated hydroxyanisole
• Butylated hydroxytoluene
• Potassium bromate
• Propylparaben
• Titanium dioxide
• Acesulfame potassium
• Advantame
• Aspartame
• Neotame
• Saccharin
• Sucralose

How will ingredients be disclosed under SB14?

The bill requires that any food product for sale in Louisiana be labeled by the manufacturer if the product contains any of the following ingredients:

• Acesulfame potassium
• Acetylated esters of mono- and diglycerides
• Advantame
• Anisole
• Aspartame
• Azodicarbonamide
• Butylated hydroxyanisole
• Butylated hydroxytoluene
• Bleached flour
• Blue dye 1
• Blue dye 2
• Bromated flour
• Calcium bromate
• Canthaxanthin
• Citrus red dye 2
• Diacetyl
• Diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono- and diglycerides
• Dimethylamylamine
• Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate
• Green dye 3
• Interesterified palm oil
• Interesterified soybean oil
• Lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propylene glycol
• Lye
• Morpholine
• Neotame
• Olestra
• Partially hydrogenated oil
• Potassium aluminum sulfate
• Potassium bromate
• Potassium iodate
• Potassium sorbate
• Propylene oxide
• Propylparaben
• Red dye 3
• Red dye 4
• Red dye 40
• Saccharin
• Sodium aluminum sulfate
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Sodium stearyl fumarate
• Stearyl tartrate
• Sucralose
• Synthetic or artificial vanillin
• Synthetic trans fatty acid
• Thiodipropionic acid
• Titanium dioxide
• Toluene
• Yellow dye 5
• Yellow dye 6

Product labels will include QR codes that link to a web page, managed by manufacturers, that include additional ingredient information. If products contain one or more of the previously mentioned ingredients, web pages will contain a disclaimer letting consumers know that the product contains an ingredient that may be harmful to their health, reads the SB14.

Seed oil disclaimer requirements under SB14

Under the bill, food service establishments that cook or prepare food using seed oils will be required to display a disclaimer on the menu or other visible location in order to inform customers of the potential presence of seed oils, according to the bill.

Seed oils that will require a disclaimer include:

• Canola or rapeseed oil
• Corn oil
• Cottonseed oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Rice bran oil
• Safflower oil
• Soybean oil
• Sunflower oil

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at [email protected]