California 1st in U.S. to crack down on ultra-processed foods in school meals

• The action comes amid a national call from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" movement for Americans to move away from ultra-processed foods.

How it works: The law requires require California's Department of Public Health to adopt regulations by June 1, 2028, to define "ultra-processed foods of concern" and "restricted school foods."

• Schools must begin to phase out these foods by no later than July 1, 2029, according to the legislation.
• Vendors will be banned from offering restricted school foods and ultra-processed foods of concern to schools from July 1, 2032.
• Schools will be prohibited from offering these foods from July 1, 2035.

Situation report: CDC data out this past summer found American adults and kids over age 1 got more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods like hamburgers, pizza and sweetened drinks between 2021 and 2023.

• Newsom's office noted that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that 32.7% of children and youth ages 12-19 are prediabetic.

State of play: The law follows an executive order Newsom signed in January directing state agencies to recommend potential actions to limit the harms associated with ultra-processed foods and food ingredients that pose a health risk to individuals.

• In 2023, California became the first state to ban four potentially harmful food additives in a law that takes effect in 2027.

Zoom out: Kennedy has made cleaning up the U.S. diet a priority and the Trump administration has committed to a "U.S. government-wide definition" for ultra-processed food.

• He has also extracted pledges from companies to swap out single ingredients, though Axios' Maya Goldman reports that critics say this won't make much difference in health.

What they're saying: "California is the first state to define ultra-processed foods and phase them out of school meals," Newsom said on X Wednesday.

• "DC politicians can talk all day about 'Making America Healthy Again,' but we've been walking the walk on boosting nutrition and removing toxic additives and dyes for decades."
• Representatives for the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Axios' Wednesday night request for comment.

Go deeper: The political lens on food is changing