OFFlCE OF **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  TEXAS AUSTIN

Honorable f&or&s W. CO% state Health Officer Auattn, %rms 'DearSir: opiplon No. 04049 Ref State Deal&h Citioermy'not require~labeling

of foods so a8 to inalude the rmmt3.u thereof or a list of the ingrediantsooctainsd.
reads: Your request for an oyfnion **of** this deprtmmt

z... ". ~- -, *Pros tine to time; the State liealth

..Otfioer

~haspromulgated**rules** and.adopted standards**for** foods as authorizedbyEFri1:. _.,( ,~ :. ,Statutes

**Vol.** 1, Chaptor 3, Article 4433. "The,Federal

lhureail of Anislal

Industry vt Inspeot$onServiae, by and through the

. S. Seoretaryof Agriculture, haa recerttly .adogted

regulationsconcernin&the labeling of neat.and produetswhioh affects a l&rga pro:?ortlon

of the pack& industry,except that part of the industrypot under yederal inspection. "Ron-FederalInsyeotedlzaokers have .comulted me concening the advfeabllitgof prmul.gatinCre&etitns ainilar to those of the yede:al.Covermaent, nheroby Lnfomativc labeliu is raq;lirad without referenoe to adultontion or nlsbrandln+ Any regu1at:on gronulgatedpursuant to this request ~wouldrequire such labeling to include the fomula or list cf lfigrodients. Wrlninal **Statutes** Title 12: Ch%ctor 2; f,rtlcle

70:: deals with the lzbelrng of foods . c

.Honorable Oyzge 98. Coz, Page S

and art&, In order to be consistentwith the law, it would be naoaesary that any rullnr: adocted 'bythe State Health OtflOer in raiieren~e

to the labal.iry

of foods coz~ply with the provfeions of that Artiale. The questionarises aa to whether any regulatloa ~~~~atedbymerequiringlab~~asa3ws ,stated would'be ooasistentwith the law whea taking Into coasideration **Article** 7OS, whioh reads~npartaefollow8t 'Nothingin thl+ law shall be oormtruedas raqulrlngproprie- : tars or nkamafaoturers of proprietaryfooda which aontain no unwho~esaaaadded lngredients to disolosa their trade formulas ex- : cept in sa far as the provisloasof this law raquire to seoum:‘freedpan from adulteration or mlsbrantllng.~ .I Will you please advise me upon this j?~ question, eiaoe any effort upon my part to

require this ty;le

of labelingwould neo- $.:1. ,, - .~ .I: F;- essarily entail considerableexpesse to the

.._, ~*- : T: ~lndustry,* ._.;_
-. Article 4400, RCN~BCJ~ Civil Statutes,'arovides Ln. part thst then

State Realth OfSlo~r or an agent within .hia Repastv.e;lt

subdect to the control of the iieslth Officarvzayr "2. Rake, pubgish and eatorcte rules aosslstsntwith this law, and adopt standards for foods, food.produota, beverages, dru$%, ate. . . T" . ArtLola 4471 Revised Civil Statutes, deals with the aduloeratlonand n~ebrand@g of foods and drugs;

Article &72, Revised Civil Statutes;reads: *The term *adulterated* anO *nisbraaded*, as used In t&is chapter, shall be held to have tta same naaiking

as is :;lven

those terms in chapter two of tlt1e.M of the ?etal Code.* Artlolo 7c17

of the PerrdL

Code defines in detail the tarn %vdulteratedv.

## ,.! i. -I 1.,.) (., i

- .

.

Honorable tiorge IV, Cor,'Paga 9

.

Arti0le **708** or th4 Peaal c0a4, afir .dtaiaing; the term 'Mabranded", provide@:

**I9**
. . . flotbiq i.?

tbiti law ahall be OOLI**atmed as~requlring**  proprietorsor manuiactm a-s or proprietaryroods whioh contain no unwholeeom added ingredientsto disclose their trade formulas except in 80 

### rar as the provit3i0=~0r this law rsquire to 440~~4 freedom rraa adulteration

### or miabra+ng.W A careful oonsiderationor these and other statutes dealing with the sower and authority of the StateHealtb Orriaor leads us to the conclusion that the Legislatureof this State baa not vested you **with** ml4 makIng authority eurriaiently broad to sustain h:rule rsfiuiring the type or labeiling inquired about.

\ Yours vary truly

_ -. -,