"The law, which Gov. Newsom signed on Wednesday, provides a first-ever statutory definition of ultra-processed foods in the U.S. and will ban some that are "of concern" in California schools starting in 2035. Under the legislation, which is expected to touch off a major overhaul of school cafeteria meals, the state's Department of Public Health will identify ultra-processed foods "of concern" and "restricted school foods" - another prohibited category - by 2028. A year later, schools are required to begin phasing them out."
""There's this really great opportunity to help a ton of people in a pretty straightforward way," said Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), author of the legislation. "I'm still learning about all this. ... I [was] going to the grocery store trying to do right by my kids, but had no idea that we might be feeding them things that could be harmful.""
Alhambra Unified's central kitchen prepares popular spicy tuna sushi rolls for high schools, a longstanding menu item that switched to brown rice for health. California enacted the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act, creating the first U.S. statutory definition of ultra-processed foods and directing the Department of Public Health to identify "of concern" and "restricted school foods" by 2028. Schools must begin phasing out identified items by 2029, with some bans taking effect in 2035. Lawmakers frame the measure as an opportunity to improve child nutrition amid research linking ultra-processed foods to obesity, asthma, and heightened vulnerability in children.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]