California lawmaker moves to phase out ultra-processed foods from public schools

A California Assemblymember is introducing a landmark bill that would phase out ultra-processed foods from his state's public schools.

A California legislator unveiled a first-of-its-kind bill Wednesday that would phase out certain ultra-processed foods from meals served in public schools statewide.

If enacted, Assembly Bill 1264 would direct state scientists to identify what the legislation refers to as “particularly harmful” ultra-processed products. The bipartisan bill proposes removing such ingredients from public schools starting in 2028, with the goal of eliminating them entirely by 2032.

“The more evidence we see, the stronger our conviction becomes that it is important to protect our kids from dangerous chemicals,” Democratic Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel said in a phone interview before introducing the bill. “Our schools should not be serving students ultra-processed food products that are filled with chemical additives that can harm their physical and mental health.”

Ultra-processed foods are typically made with low-quality ingredients that have long shelf lives and include packaged snacks such as chips, candies, instant noodles, mass-produced ice cream and soft drinks.

“If you pick up a product and you turn it over, and it’s got 50 ingredients and you can’t pronounce 45 of them, that’s a good indicator that that’s probably going to be something that the scientists are going to look closely at,” Gabriel said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-ultraprocessed-foods-public-schools-rcna196935

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