Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is investigating three major food manufacturers over whether their “heart-healthy” marketing violates Texas consumer-protection law, his office announced Monday.
Paxton issued civil investigative demands to Frito-Lay, Flora Food Group and ACH Foods. His office will examine whether the companies misrepresented the health value of products sold to Texans in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The demands seek information for the investigation. Paxton’s office has not announced findings or filed a lawsuit against the companies over the labels.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Paxton used a similar inquiry before securing a legally binding agreement requiring Kellogg’s to remove artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals by the end of 2027.
What Paxton alleges
Paxton’s office said some foods displaying the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark or similar language contain added sugars, refined grains and ingredients it considers inflammatory. The release cited Mazola Canola Oil and SunChips and alleged that their omega-6 fatty acids increase the risk of obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
“I won’t allow corporations to slap a ‘heart healthy’ symbol on their food labels as an attempt to market seed oils and other chemical-filled foods as healthy,” Paxton said. “I have seen that many products with this ‘heart healthy’ label can actually impair heart function.”
The release did not identify studies supporting those broad medical claims and did not include responses from the companies or the American Heart Association.
Medical claims remain disputed
The American Heart Association says products bearing its mark must meet criteria for saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium, as well as federal requirements governing coronary heart disease claims. The organization’s guidance recommends liquid plant oils, including canola and corn oil, as replacements for saturated fats.
An independent Cochrane review of 19 randomized trials found that increasing omega-6 intake may make little or no difference to cardiovascular events or deaths, reduces total cholesterol and may lower heart attack risk. The reviewers rated much of the outcome evidence as low or very low quality.
Those findings do not determine whether any specific package misleads consumers under Texas law. That is the question Paxton’s office says it is investigating.
Provided by Dallas Express
