California has passed legislation to ban ultra-processed foods (UPFs) from school meals, becoming the first state to define UPFs in law. The bill, which now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature, is expected to include the world's first statutory definition of ultra-processed foods. State Assembly member Jesse Gabriel, who sponsored the bill, described it as 'bipartisan, common sense, science-based'.
Ultra-processed foods are industrially formulated products high in fats, starches, sugars and additives, making up 73% of the US food supply. Examples include fast food, microwave dinners, sodas, chips, packaged bread and sweetened yoghurts. The move follows California's earlier bans on six synthetic food dyes in school meals and four chemicals already prohibited in the EU.
Experts hope for a 'California effect' that will push other states to adopt similar measures. At least 18 states have introduced over 40 pieces of legislation restricting foods with certain additives. This year, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Utah and West Virginia have passed laws banning certain dyes and additives from school meals.
Gabriel noted the US lags behind other nations in food safety, saying: 'We don’t love our kids here any less than they love their kids in Sweden or Saudi Arabia or South Korea. So why is it that they are taking stronger measures to protect their kids than we are?' More than 20 states have copied California's earlier bans on chemicals and dyes.
Defining UPFs has proven challenging. Food policy experts often use the Nova classification, which categorises a product as ultra-processed if it is industrially formulated to be 'edible, palatable and habit-forming'. Bernadette del Chiaro of the Environmental Working Group, which backed the law, said: 'It is really hard to define an ultra processed food... putting that definition in writing that has the force of law behind it is more difficult.'
