FLPC Resource unpacks Texas and Louisiana legislation on nutrition education

By Kristen McEnroe, Clinical Fellow

As diet-related disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, the importance of nutrition education for healthcare professionals is being increasingly recognized. At the federal level, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has called on U.S. medical schools and graduate medical education programs to report on their efforts to strengthen nutrition education. The federal government has the power to drive change throughout medical training by setting national priorities around nutrition education for healthcare professionals and allocating Medicare dollars to graduate medical education programs, which fund residency and fellowship training. However, states have the ability to translate policy priorities into practice through physician licensure and continuing medical education requirements, decisions regarding Medicaid funding for graduate medical education, and coursework mandates in public medical schools.

In June 2025, Texas and Louisiana enacted legislation to increase nutrition education among physicians and other healthcare professionals in each state. Texas SB 25, which applies to all health-related institutions of higher education in Texas, requires medical students and students in other health-related fields to complete nutrition curriculum and licensed health professionals (e.g., physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and dietitians) to complete continuing medical education in nutrition and metabolic health. Louisiana SB 14 applies to licensed physicians, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses across multiple specialties to complete at least one hour of continuing medical education on nutrition and metabolic health every four years. 

The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) developed a resource to explain the details of SB 25 and SB 14, provide analyses of each law, and put forth recommendations for other states seeking to incorporate nutrition education into medical training for physicians and healthcare professionals in their jurisdiction. Drawing on Texas SB 25 and Louisiana SB 14, FLPC recommends that states:

• Adopt nutrition-focused continuing medical education requirements for practicing clinicians.
• Incorporate nutrition education throughout medical training, including undergraduate and graduate medical education programs, and extend this requirements to other health-related fields.
• Support programs that strengthen nutrition education, such as competency-based incentives or targeted funding for programs that expand nutrition training.

State-level efforts to increase nutrition education among healthcare professionals will play a key role in addressing the burden of diet-related conditions in the United States. Incorporating nutrition training into each stage of medical education can help physicians and health professionals understand the connection between diet and health and provide evidence-based advice to patients.

To learn more about Texas SB 25 and Louisiana SB 14, check out the full resource here.