California lawmakers pitch plan to remove ultra-processed foods from school meals

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — School lunchrooms are the biggest fast food chain in the nation. That’s one reason California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel crafted a bill to tackle ultra-processed foods served to school children, with the goal of removing the most harmful among them by 2032.

The Encino Democrat’s legislation, Assembly Bill 1264, would lead scientists and experts to identify the foods linked to cancer, behavioral issues and other health problems. It also would create what Gabriel called the first-ever statutory definition of an ultra-processed food.

The cost of implementing the bill is unknown, though an analysis is expected by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. However, Gabriel argued that it would save California money through health care costs.

“This is actually going to save the state of California a lot of money,” Gabriel said at an online Wednesday press conference.

The bill hasn’t yet been assigned to a committee.

Under the bill, the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment would determine which foods have additives banned or restricted in other jurisdictions, if their ingredients are linked to certain diseases like cancer and diabetes, if they contribute to food addiction, and if they have high amounts of fat, sugar and salt.

“This is good for business, but bad for the health of America,” said Ashely Gearhardt, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, of ultra-processed foods.

Gabriel called the issue nonpartisan; it is co-authored by Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Yuba City Republican and the Assembly minority leader, and Progressive Caucus Chair Alex Lee, a San Jose Democrat.

“It has always struck me as a gross contrast that our California farmers grow the healthiest, safest food in the world and yet our kids still eat unhealthy food from somewhere else, and we wonder why we have high rates of childhood obesity,” Gallagher said in a statement provided to Courthouse News. “It’s time to change that.”

According to Gabriel, the state is expected to provide over 1 billion meals this school year. Those meals include ultra-processed foods that are banned in other countries yet are marketed in the United States.

He said his bill also addressed an equity issue since it would give children from all economic backgrounds access to healthier foods.

A series of nutrition professors and experts praised the bill during Wednesday’s Zoom conference.

Michael Goran, program director for nutrition and obesity at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and a professor at the University of Southern California, said studies have linked ultra-processed foods to brain health. He expressed optimism over Gabriel’s bill, which addresses the overall health of foods instead of focusing on individual ingredients.

Gearhardt has been involved in studies pointing to ultra-processed foods as being addictive. She said one in seven adults and one in eight children have a food addiction, adding that Gabriel’s bill is a step forward in addressing the issue.

Nora LaTorrre, CEO of Eat Real, said school cafeterias across the country serve more meals than McDonald’s, Starbucks and Subway combined, referring to cafeterias as the biggest fast food chain in the nation. She said providing healthy meals to children will change their future, affecting aspects of their lives like economic achievement and performance in sports.

States have led the way toward healthier and safer food, with California leading the pack, said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs with Environmental Working Group.

Gabriel’s bill isn’t the first time he’s addressed food health.

In 2023, he wrote Assembly Bill 418, which banned four additives — including brominated vegetable oil and red dye 3 — from foods sold in the state. Last year, he wrote Assembly Bill 2316. That bill prohibits some synthetic food dyes in school meals.

Since these bills became law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned two of the chemicals included in Assembly Bill 418, Gabriel said.