Hoping to reduce obesity and diabetes, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers proposes eliminating ultra-processed foods by 2032.
A bipartisan group of California lawmakers who want to make California the first state to remove ultra-processed food from school lunches, within seven years, introduced a law to phase out “particularly harmful” fares.
“Our public schools should not be served to ultra-processed foods filled with chemical additives that can be harmful to physical and mental health and that can interfere with learning,” Gabriel said in a press release Wednesday. “This new law ensures that schools are needed and provide students with the healthy, nutritious food they deserve.”
The bill has been co-authored by a diverse group of legislators, including Congressional Republican leader James Gallagher (R-East Nicolaus) and progressive Caucus Chair Alex Lee (D-San Jose).
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit focused on public health, empathized with the law and praised Gabriel for “putting the health of California children’s top priority.”
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the study suggests that ultra-higher foods, such as frozen pizza, potato chips, breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat meals and sugary drinks, directly link weight gain in children and adults.
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According to the NIH, the food contains ingredients rarely found in home cooking, such as high-fructose corn syrup, flavorings and emulsifiers.
Processed foods can be part of a healthy diet, but Americans eat too many ultra-processed foods, with a high incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“By identifying and gradating the most harmful (ultra-processed foods) from California school cuisine, AB 1264 sends the right signal to businesses selling food to our schools,” Faber said in a statement in the Epoch Times.
The state’s public health department was asked to provide recommendations to Newsom by April 1.
“The food we eat should not make us sick or lead to lifelong consequences,” Newsmom said in January.
The proposed bill on Wednesday would establish a definition of ultra-processed food.
The bill also directs the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment to work with University of California experts and identifies subcategories of “particularly harmful” ultra-processed foods that should phase out school lunches by 2032.
State scientists are charged by determining whether the product is found to be particularly harmful based on whether it contains additives that are subject to ban, restricted or warranted in other jurisdictions.
Students will receive a packed lunch at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles on April 27, 2021. California schools offer around 1 billion meals each year. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Researchers will also look at whether the product or ingredient is associated with cancer, heart disease, metabolic disease, developmental damage, reproductive damage, obesity, type 2 diabetes, or other health issues.
According to Gabriel, we will consider whether the product contributes to food addiction or whether it is rich in fat, sugar and salt.
Dr. Ashley Giahardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, says that ultra-processed foods are more addictive and make it difficult to stop eating them.
“Ultra-processed foods aren’t just unhealthy. They are designed for overconsumption,” Gearhardt said in a statement Wednesday. “Like addictive substances, they hijack the brain’s reward system, making it difficult for people to cut back even in the face of serious health consequences.”
People in the US earn around 58% of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, researchers found.
According to Congressman Gabriel, the school offers around 1 billion meals per grade.
