SACRAMENTO, California — A California Democrat is pushing a bill to create the nation’s first seal of approval for non-ultraprocessed foods — and require grocery stores to prominently display those products at the ends of aisles and other visible locations.
The legislation, shared first with POLITICO, is the latest in a broader war on unhealthy food gaining traction at both the federal and state level, and across parties, with bipartisan support nationally for ridding American diets of ultraprocessed foods. It would create a “California Certified” seal on foods that aren’t ultraprocessed.
The bill comes just months after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation phasing ultraprocessed foods out of school lunches. California has also enacted laws banning food containing certain dyes from being sold in schools by 2027, and banning food containing chemicals like red 40 from being sold in the state by the same year.
“Now we’re taking the next logical step to continue that work, which is addressing ultraprocessed foods in our grocery stores,” the latest bill’s author, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, told POLITICO. “But we’re doing it in a way that strengthens consumer choice and encourages innovation.”
