Click play to listen to this article.

California has just become the first state to regulate "ultraprocessed foods” in school lunches. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1264 on Wednesday. The state health department must adopt regulations defining those foods by June 2028.

A year later, public K-12 schools would begin to phase out the most concerning items. According to reporting from KFF Health News, the measure has attracted support from Republicans who have criticized past Democratic efforts to encourage healthier diets.

James Gallagher, Republican Assemblymember, cosponsored the bill.

Image

"Here in California, we grow some of the safest, healthiest food in the world and yet, in our classrooms, often kids are getting junk food," he said. "We need to ensure that our kids are eating well. Let's get the chemicals and the additives out of the food."

Some 30 states, many in deeply conservative regions, have passed or are considering restrictions on chemicals in food or food packaging, according to the Environmental Working Group, which co-sponsored the California bill. The term “ultraprocessed” generally refers to food that is industrially manufactured and contains ingredients not typically available in a home kitchen, such as thickeners, gases, emulsifiers, and artificial colors and flavors.

Jack Bobo, executive director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, supports the law’s intention but worries that the focus on additives is a distraction from the more important task of serving foods low in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.

"The core challenges are salt, fat, and sugar," he contended. "So, I think that a focus on those would be easier, less bureaucratic, and more likely to be able to deliver short-term gains and improvements in health and nutrition."

Studies show close to 75 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity is rising quickly.