California Becomes the First State to Phase Ultraprocessed Food Out of School Meals

A new law will make California the first state to phase some ultraprocessed food out of school meals.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Wednesday that prohibits public schools from serving children what it describes as “ultraprocessed foods of concern” in breakfasts or lunches. The policy sets a 10-year deadline for the change to take place.

It defines such foods as those that pose the greatest risks to consumers based on scientific evidence of adverse health outcomes, and it directs the state Public Health Department to determine which particular products meet the definition by June 2028.

“There’s really a growing awareness, particularly among millennial parents like myself, about how what we feed our kids is not important just to their physical health, but also so deeply connected to their mental health and their emotional well-being,” state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat who introduced the legislation, said in a phone interview. “We have a lot of parents like me in the Legislature, and it turns out that whether they’re Democrat or Republicans or conservative or progressive, parents want the same thing.”