A new California bill continues the state’s efforts to crack down on ultra-processed foods, proposing a front-of-package seal that manufacturers could place on their products to show that they are not ultra-processed.
The hope is that the seal, which manufacturers would voluntarily apply for, would help people make healthier choices at the grocery store and incentivize companies to reformulate to meet eligibility requirements, said assemblyman Jesse Gabriel at a press call on Wednesday.
“Parents shouldn’t need a Ph.D. in chemistry to understand what they’re feeding their kids,” said Gabriel, who introduced bill AB 2224. The Democratic politician is also the architect behind California’s landmark legislation against certain food dyes and additives and last year’s bill targeting ultra-processed foods in schools, which was signed into law in the fall.
**HANDOUT**SINGLE USE**Courtesy Jesse Gabriel
What constitutes an ultra-processed food is the subject of much debate. This bill uses the same definition as last year’s California school law: Foods are ultra-processed if they contain both certain additives like emulsifiers, flavors, and preservatives and are also high in sugar, salt, and fat, or contain non-nutritive sweeteners.
About a third of packaged foods would be considered not ultra-processed under that definition, Alyssa Moran, a nutrition policy researcher and epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said on the call. She said that the new certification would also make it easier for school food service providers to identify items that are not ultra-processed.
“Ultra-processed foods clearly increase chronic disease risk, and while we debate about whether the science is good enough, ultra-processed foods are killing roughly 1,400 Americans each day,” Moran said.
The Consumer Brands Association, the largest trade group for food manufacturers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Gabriel compared the plan to the certified organic label from the United States Department of Agriculture, and noted that California’s regulation of organic products decades ago laid the groundwork for federal action. “We would love to see Washington follow our lead,” he said, adding: “But until then, there’s no reason companies couldn’t use the California seal in grocery stores outside of California.”
The bill also requires large grocery store chains to display foods carrying the California seal prominently once they meet a threshold for the number of products sold with that designation. Items like yogurt, bread, snacks, baby food, and cereals could all potentially qualify for the seals.
Gabriel said he hopes to have the bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk by August or September.
Texas, meanwhile, passed a labeling law taking aim at ultra-processed foods last year — in that case, a warning label that manufacturers would have been required to put on foods that contained any of 44 additives. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law last month, saying it probably violates the First Amendment.
Other countries like Mexico have adopted front-of-package food labels warning consumers about excess amounts of calories and sugar. “We thought that maybe there would be a better way … by acknowledging folks who are doing the right thing, and who are creating products that are healthy,” Gabriel said.
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