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Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana bill requires warning labels on food products containing specified additives and ingredients
Last action · January 8, 2026: First reading: referred to Committee on Public HealthSponsors: Jennifer Meltzer and 3 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Food manufacturers offering certain food products for sale in Indiana must include a specific warning label disclosing the presence of designated ingredients, such as certain food dyes, oils, and chemical additives, starting in mid-2027. The legislation authorizes the attorney general to bring legal actions seeking and civil penalties of up to $50,000 per day for violations, while prohibiting private citizens from filing lawsuits under the chapter.
Food manufacturers and online retailers distributing packaged goods in Indiana face new packaging and website disclosure compliance costs, backed by state-enforced financial penalties reaching $50,000 per daily violation.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
food manufacturer
Food manufacturers must ensure that applicable food products and websites include specific warning labels regarding designated ingredients or face civil penalties.
retailer
Retailers offering covered food products for sale on websites in Indiana must disclose the required labeling information online.
attorney general
The attorney general is authorized to bring legal actions, seek injunctive relief, collect investigation costs, and pursue civil penalties of up to $50,000 per day for violations.
Key Facts
- Applies to food product labels printed or copyrighted after June 30, 2027.
- Exempts products not intended for human consumption, items sold in food and retail establishments, federal USDA-inspected items, products with a Surgeon General warning, drugs, dietary supplements, and raw agricultural commodities.
- Requires a warning label stating that the product contains an ingredient not recommended for human consumption by appropriate authorities in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom.
- Mandates that warning labels use a font size no smaller than the smallest consumer information font required by the FDA and maintain sufficiently high contrast.
Show all 7 facts
- Requires website disclosures for food products offered for sale online by manufacturers or retailers in Indiana.
- Authorizes the attorney general to seek injunctive relief, civil penalties up to $50,000 per day per violation, and investigation costs.
- Explicitly prohibits private individuals from bringing a private cause of action for violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which food products are exempt from the warning label requirement?
What text must the warning label contain?
Can individual citizens sue food manufacturers for violating these labeling rules?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 8, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Public Health
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCoauthored by Representatives McGuire, Barrett, King
- Jan 8, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Meltzer
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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