30-04-2025
Louisiana looks to RFK Jr. for school lunch guidelines, limits on SNAP purchases
Sen. Patrick McMath looks ahead from his desk in the Senate Chamber. (Allison Allsop/Louisiana Illuminator)
Louisiana lawmakers advanced sweeping nutrition legislation that would regulate purchases of sugary beverages with federal food assistance and limit what ingredients can be served in public school school lunches.
Senate Bill 14 by Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, cleared the Louisiana Senate Committee of Health and Welfare on a party-line 4-3 vote, with Republicans prevailing.
McMath's bill is part of a nationwide backlash against 'ultra-processed foods,' food dyes, seed oils and certain chemicals in foods that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has targeted for elimination.
Kennedy is the central figure of the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement. McMath said he is working with Kennedy on his bill.
'I think, for the first time in a very long time, and perhaps maybe ever, Americans, Louisianians, are paying close attention to what our individual health outcomes are and our individual health outcomes for our children and our grandchildren,' McMath said.
Democrats on the committee raised concerns that the legislature is not taking a holistic look at the factors causing poor health outcomes in Louisiana.
'Louisiana has a lot of chemical industry in our state. Those plants produce a lot of carcinogens that's in the air we breathe, and we tend to turn our backs sometimes and let those things go,' Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, said. 'So we need to be more mindful and consider all of those things.'
In an interview after the hearing, McMath said his bill is a starting point toward addressing larger issues in Louisiana.
'The types of environments that we're surrounded by can be pretty toxic,' McMath said. 'And while I would love to wave a magic wand and clean up air and water and other things, I think the lowest hanging fruit … is we can start with the food that we're that we're putting in our body.'
The original version of his legislation banned the purchase of soft drinks with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits but was amended to prohibit buying beverages with more than five grams of added sugar or any artificial sweetener. Drinks that include milk or milk substitutes would be exempt from this prohibition.
Democrats also objected to this provision of the bill, saying it would further marginalize poor children who could be ostracized for not being able to afford lunchbox items their peers can.
McMath's SNAP restrictions are actually more limited than those in previous legislative proposals, which have included bans on chips and candy. McMath said he was aware many Louisianians live in food deserts, and he did not want to prevent people who might only be able to shop at convenience stores from eating.
If McMath's bill passes, the state would still have to receive permission from the federal government to limit SNAP benefits.
Further amendments on the bill removed references to 'ultra-processed' foods and instead listed ingredients prohibited in school lunches. They include food dyes that are common allergens and zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose, more commonly known as Splenda.
The committee adopted amendments to allow food items with prohibited ingredients to be sold in vending machines and from concession stands at school events.
The bill also requires food packages to include a warning that the contents 'may be harmful to your health' if it includes certain ingredients. That list includes aspartame, a common zero-calorie sweetener.
McMath's legislation would also require restaurants to post notices when they use oils derived from the seeds of plants.
Certain medical professionals would be required to take nutrition courses as part of their continuing education under the bill that heads next to the Senate floor.
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