Assembly Bill (AB) 1264, titled, the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act, establishes a legal definition for ultra-processed foods, and tasks the state Department of Public Health with identifying and banning particularly harmful ultra-processed foods from California schools.
California Assembly Bill (AB) 1264 has passed the Senate, and now awaits final approval before being sent to the Governor. AB 1264 would define “ultra-processed foods” (UPFs), and would require “UPFs of concern” to be identified and phased out of schools.
Despite a lack of scientific support to justify a carcinogenic risk determination, hundreds of companies have been sued under California's Prop 65 for failing to provide a "clear and reasonable" warning on food products containing acrylamide.
The bill’s passage by the California State Assembly comes on the heels of two other food safety-related bills authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel and passed into law.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Alex Truelove, Legislation and Policy Manager at the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), about a California law that makes big changes to compliance on compostable products, including food packaging, in the state. The law, which goes into effect in 2026, could have a "ripple effect" on the rest of the country.
California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel has introduced a bill that aims to define and identify “ultra-processed foods” so that they can be phased out of state public schools.
Regulated food businesses should review their portfolio of products sold in California for use of the short-form or long-form Proposition 65 warning labels, which will be required in the state starting January 1, 2028.
Citing concerns that the Trump Administration could roll back or weaken Biden-era EPA drinking water standards for PFAS, a bill has been introduced in California that would set state-level limits for harmful “forever chemicals” that are at least as protective as current federal standards.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an executive order that mandates state agencies explore the safety of ultra-processed foods, food dyes, and "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) ingredients, and recommend actions to mitigate the adverse health effects.
A house cat in Oregon has died from eating raw cat food contaminated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1), and a product recall was initiated. Additionally, cats in California contracted HPAI H5N1 from different raw pet food.
