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Senate Health Committee advances AB 1264 to define and phase out certain ultra‑processed foods in California schools
Summary
The Senate Committee on Health voted 10-0 to pass AB 1264, a bill that defines "ultra‑processed foods" (UPFs) for school meals, directs state agencies to identify UPFs of concern and phases out those items from school food service by 2032, while stakeholders raised technical and implementation concerns.
The Senate Committee on Health voted 10-0 to move AB 1264 out of committee after a hearing where the bill’s author and health and child‑nutrition advocates described the measure as a science‑based, phased approach to remove the most harmful ultra‑processed foods from school meals.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Gabriel, told the committee the proposal has been amended more than 50 times to address stakeholder concerns and asked for the committee’s “I” vote. Supporters including the Environmental Working Group and the American Academy of Pediatrics urged approval, while food‑industry groups and agricultural representatives sought further refinements to the definition and exemptions.
AB 1264 would create a statutory definition of “ultra‑processed foods” (UPFs) in the Health and Safety Code and direct the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), working with the California Department of Education (CDE), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and stakeholders, to identify which UPFs are of concern…
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