By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
The Make America Healthy Again Kentucky Task Force has unanimously approved a series of recommendations for lawmakers to consider when the General Assembly convenes for the 2026 legislative session.
The panel’s recommendations center around three common themes: improving access to healthy foods; focusing on physical health and wellness; and treating the root causes of disease through the use of functional medicine, according to a news release.
The task force, co-chaired by Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, and Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville, met seven times over the legislature’s interim period, learning from health and wellness advocates about their programs. Lockett noted that their insight has helped shape the task force’s vision.
Funke Frommeyer said in the release that the task force’s work throughout the interim will likely result in legislation during the upcoming legislative session.
Lockett underscored the growing recognition that nutrition, prevention and healthy lifestyle choices are central to improving long‑term outcomes for Kentucky families.
“Improving Kentucky’s health outcomes is a priority and touches every facet of quality of life here in the commonwealth,” he said in the release. “We have a real opportunity to lead the nation in redefining what healthy communities look like, and these recommendations represent the first steps toward a stronger, healthier future for all Kentuckians.”
In July, the task force learned that Kentucky ranks 41st among states for the determinants that influence health and 44th among states for health outcomes, according to America’s Health Rankings.
The task force recommendations include:
Healthy foods
- Support the “Food is Medicine” programs across Kentucky, including hospital, health insurance and Kentucky Department of Agriculture collaboration with local communities and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, as well as other state agencies and associations such as the Kentucky Medical Association.
- Address the purchase of healthy foods with Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars.
- Seek ways to improve healthy meals in schools statewide through improving procurement contracts, nutrition education, healthy meal preparation and supporting farm to school programs.
- Find ways to address public education and access to foods that are not ultra-processed.
Physical health and wellness
- Strengthen physical education requirements for high school graduation.
- Increase accountability and transparency in local school wellness policies.
- Strengthen efforts to improve the overall health of Kentuckians by:
- Expanding public awareness of healthy nutrition and lifestyles;
- Reducing public exposure to environmental toxins;
- Increasing public awareness and input into state health policies.
Functional medicine
- Increase health care provider education on integrating nutrition and diet strategies for improving health outcomes for chronic disease.
- Improve health insurance coverage of health programs that include functional medicine.
- Encourage the integration of functional medicine principles in preventive health initiatives.
Lockett, who sponsored legislation that would have prohibited SNAP benefits from paying for soft drinks, candy and other “junk food” during the 2025 regular session, added that he expects similar legislation to be filed again.
The news release also noted other considerations of the task force, including looking at expanding the use of SNAP to cover other foods, for example hot prepared foods that would provide healthy options to Kentucky families.
They also discussed other proposals, including those passed in other states. Among them are mandatory food warning labels for food products sold in Kentucky that contain specified additives, such as certain artificial colors, bleached flour, Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and titanium dioxide.
In addition, the release notes that they discussed incorporating nutrition education across the education pipeline to ensure future health professionals and community leaders are trained in nutrition and metabolic health; mandatory physical activity for grades K-5; and the creation of a nutrition advisory committee.