AB1264
California Lawmakers Introduce
Legislation to Phase Out Harmful UPFs from School Meals
Click here to support AB264 in California
AB 1264 Will Phase Out “Particularly Harmful” UPFs
AB 1264 would establish a first-ever statutory definition for UPFs and direct California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) – in cooperation with leading experts from the University of California – to identify a subcategory of “particularly harmful” UPFs that should be phased out of school meals by 2032. State scientists will be charged with determining whether a product qualifies as a “particularly harmful” UPF based on the following factors:
- Whether the product includes additives that are banned, restricted, or subject to warnings in other jurisdictions;
- Whether, based upon scientific research, the product or ingredients in the product are linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, developmental harms, reproductive harms, obesity, type 2 diabetes, or other health harms;
- Whether the product or ingredients in the product contribute to food addiction;
- Whether the product is high in fat, sugar, or salt.
What Healthcare and Food Safety Experts are Saying about AB 1264
“Ultra-processed foods aren’t just unhealthy—they’re engineered for overconsumption. Like addictive substances, they hijack the brain’s reward system, making it difficult for people to cut back, even when facing serious health consequences. America’s diet is now dominated by ultra-processed foods, many of which were shaped by the same corporate strategies that once hooked people on cigarettes. The result? Rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and diet-related diseases, especially in children.”
– Dr. Ashley Gearhardt
Ph.D, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan
“Healthy School Meals are the fastest, most powerful way to create a healthier future for our children and our nation.”
– Nora LaTorre
CEO EatReal.org
“Poor nutrition in childhood, predominantly due to processed foods which are high in added sugars and low in nutrient quality, is a major and modifiable factor contributing to life-long risk for chronic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and heart disease and also affects learning and classroom performance.”
– Dr. Michael Goran
Program Director for Nutrition and Obesity, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Professor;
Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine of USC
“Processed food can be part of a healthy diet, but Americans, especially our kids, are eating too many ultra-processed foods, leading to higher rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. By identifying and phasing out the most harmful UPF from California’s school food, AB 1264 will send the right signal to the companies selling food to our schools. EWG applauds Assemblymember Gabriel for once again making the health of California’s kids his top priority.”
– Scott Faber
Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group
