Article by Adeline Fields
At Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana lawmakers gathered to celebrate the signing of a new law that aims to improve nutrition, transparency, and public well-being. Senate Bill 14, also known as the MAHA bill, was signed into law shortly after remarks from State Senator Patrick McMath, Governor Jeff Landry, and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
MAHA, which stands for “Make America Healthy Again,” is a movement that is focused on improving pediatric health by examining the nutrition and diets of American children. This initiative has been steered by Secretary Kennedy, who travelled down to Baton Rouge for the signing of the MAHA bill.
Senator Patrick McMath began by introducing the governor and secretary, before explaining why the bill matters.
“Senate Bill 14 is all about protecting our children and the ingredients in the foods that we serve them in schools. It’s about transparency for restaurants and for food manufacturers to disclose the types of ingredients that they’re serving us, and the potential impact that those ingredients could have on our bodies. It’s about education, educating our healthcare providers and our citizens of Louisiana as to how important it is as to what we are, what we’re putting into our bodies and the effects that it could have on us and our health.”
The bill covers four major areas:
First, it bans certain food additives and artificial ingredients from being served in Louisiana’s public schools and any private schools that receive state funding. This includes artificial food dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5, additives like BHA and BHT, and artificial sweeteners like sucralose. These ingredients can still be sold in vending machines or at concession stands, but not as a part of regular school meals or aftercare snacks.
Second, the bill encourages buying food that is grown or produced in Louisiana. This helps local farms and businesses to stay afloat, while encouraging fresher, less-processed nutrition options for students.
Third, it establishes a new requirement for medical providers. Doctors, nurses, and specialists in fields like pediatrics, family medicine, and internal medicine will now be required to complete a minimum of one hour of continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health every four years.
Fourth, the bill requires increased transparency in grocery stores and restaurants. Once it is in effect, food manufacturers must label products that contain certain ingredients. Because nutrition labels are already crowded with information, a QR code will link consumers to a page that explains what ingredients are in the product and their respective regulations. Meanwhile, in restaurants that cook with seed oils, a disclaimer is required to be displayed on menus.
Senator McMath says this bill is quite revolutionary in the U.S.
“This is by far the most comprehensive MAHA bill in the country right now.”
And he says they did not receive a single vote against it.
Governor Jeff Landry took the mic next, talking about the bill’s place in the broader context of his administration’s legislative reforms.
“Over the past eighteen months, Louisiana has experienced transformational change we have addressed public safety, educational reform, implemented historic tax cuts and tax reform, and those changes are lifting our families out of poverty. They are lifting our economy and giving our families an opportunity to join a new industrial South where the average mean income of families is much greater than Louisiana’s. And our progress is being reflected in our rankings, and we are winning like never before.”
He also acknowledged how far the state still has to go in terms of improving health.
“There was a time when our population was much healthier—when children played outside, when recess was a time for physical activity instead of Snapchat and TikTok.”
“We sadly know the statistics… but they aren’t just numbers; they’re stories of families that are burdened with preventable illnesses and children growing up with limited access to proper nutrition and exercise. And we can, and we must, and we will do better.”
He pointed to the state’s own food supply as part of the solution.
“Fresh seafood from our waters, produce from some of the richest soil in America, and culinary innovations that the world appreciates—all healthy ways to enjoy food.”
And he made the case that a healthier population helps Louisiana stand stronger financially—not just physically.
“As the debate continues in Washington over Medicaid changes, we must remember that a healthy, independent population reduces reliance on Medicaid—freeing us from government dependence.”
“Today marks the beginning of a healthy transformation for Louisiana.”
He added that that transformation starts with small, achievable changes.
“This initiative emphasizes choosing water over soda, walking more, and supporting local families, or purchasing fresh produce. These steps create positive ripples throughout our community leading to a healthier and more vibrant Louisiana.”
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. echoed the urgency.
“We are literally the sickest nation in the world. According to the CDC, the average American who died from Covid, had 3.8 chronic diseases. Louisiana is the 49th state in terms of poor health and Governor Landry wants to change that.”
He looked back to his childhood to underscore just how much things have changed.
“When my uncle was president, I was a 10 year old boy. We had the healthiest children in the world. About 3% of our children had chronic disease. Today 60% do. We had, in addition, about a 3% obesity rate in our children. Today it’s over 50%.”
To provide further context to this crisis, he pointed to the statistics for obesity and diabetes abroad.
“In Japan, where they don’t allow processed food in their schools, the level of obesity is still 3%.”
“China, 20 years ago, had zero diabetes. Today, 51% of their adult population is diabetic or pre diabetic, because they let 20,000 fast food joints sprout up in China and they began importing US processed food.”
He also recalled the rarity of pediatric diabetes growing up.
“When I was a kid, the average pediatrician would see one case of diabetes during a 40 or 50 year career (juvenile diabetes). Today, 38% of teens are prediabetic or diabetic.”
The HHS Secretary says the cost of treating these health problems in Americans is huge.
“The cost of this, of mitochondrial disorders—which diabetes is part of—is a trillion dollars a year, so it’s bigger than our military budget.”
“Treating chronic disease today, we spend 1.7 trillion dollars.”
He says that the blame is on us, for allowing processed foods to become so prevalent that it’s nearly impossible to avoid now.
“Our children did not suddenly become gluttonous and indolent. We are mass poisoning them. And we’re mass poisoning them mainly with processed foods.”
Kennedy also identified connections between food and mental health, referencing studies on prison populations and juvenile detention centers.
“Mental illness declines dramatically. These studies of prisons showed that there was an 85% drop in assaults after they switch out the process. For the juvenile detention facilities, there was a 75% drop in the use of restraints. There was a 38% drop in violence among all these prisons. In one juvenile detention facility, there was a 100% drop in suicide. So getting good food to our state institutions, to our public schools is absolutely critical.”
“The poisoning is not just affecting their health; it’s affecting everything. It’s affecting their mental illness… the depression, the alienation, the suicide rate, the mental illness rates.”
To close, Secretary Kennedy ended with a reflection on what better health really means.
“Governor Landry often talks about bringing the ‘American dream’ to Louisiana. A healthy person has a thousand dreams. A sick person only has one.”
Listen to “Governor Landry Signs New MAHA Bill” on Spreaker.