Texas Just Signed A Law That Could Put Warning Labels On Doritos, M&Ms, And Mountain Dew
The food industry is undergoing major changes. RFK Jr. has declared war on artificial food dyes and a growing number of fast food chains have begun elimimating dyes from menu items. In recent weeks, Texas senators proposed a bipartisan bill requiring food and beverage brands to include warnings on labels for ingredients that are “not recommended for human consumption.” The senate voted unanimously in favor of the Texas Senate Bill 25, with Governor Greg Abbott signing the bill into law on June 21, 2025.
Many of the ingredients listed in the law, 44 in total, are legal to consume in the U.S., but are banned or strictly regulated overseas. The law covers ingredients that fall into five categories: Bleached flour, food dyes, sweeteners, oils and preservatives. Brands and manufacturers would be required to add warning labels to products sold online, as well. This likely will lead to a nationwide overhaul, as companies generally aim for uniformity when making major changes to product labels.
The new law doesn’t apply to products not intended for human consumption. Regulations already in place by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Surgeon General will override the law in applicable cases. Products with warning labels would likely hit shelves beginning 2027. Here is a complete list of the ingredients that will require a warning label now:
- acetylated esters of mono- and diglycerides (acetic acid ester)
- anisole
- azodicarbonamide (ADA)
- butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
- butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
- bleached flour
- blue 1 (CAS 3844-45-9)
- blue 2 (CAS 860-22-0)
- bromated flour
- calcium bromate
- canthaxanthin
- certified food colors by the United States Food and Drug Administration
- citrus red 2 (CAS 6358-53-8)
- diacetyl
- diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM)
- dimethylamylamine (DMAA)
- dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS)
- ficin
- green 3 (CAS 2353-45-9)
- interesterified palm oil
- interesterified soybean oil
- lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propylene glycol
- lye
- morpholine
- olestra
- partially hydrogenated oil (PHO)
- potassium aluminum sulfate
- potassium bromate
- potassium iodate
- propylene oxide
- propylparaben
- red 3 (CAS 16423-68-0)
- red 4 (CAS 4548-53-2)
- red 40 (CAS 25956-17-6)
- sodium aluminum sulfate
- sodium lauryl sulfate
- sodium stearyl fumarate
- stearyl tartrate
- synthetic trans fatty acid
- thiodipropionic acid
- titanium dioxide
- toluene
- yellow 5 (CAS 1934-21-0)
- yellow 6 (CAS 2783-94-0)
Major snack and drink brands that could be impacted by the law include Doritos, Ruffles, Lays, M&Ms, Skittles, Froot Loops, Cap’n Crunch, Twinkies, Oreos — even microwave popcorn and drinks like Mountain Dew, Gatorade, and Hawaiian Punch.
