Plain English Breakdown
The exact criteria for defining 'restricted school foods' and 'ultraprocessed foods of concern' will be determined in future regulations.
AB-1264: Rules on Ultraprocessed and Restricted Foods in Schools
This law requires the state to define certain processed foods, sets dates for schools to stop using them, and creates reporting rules for food vendors.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations by June 1, 2028, defining 'ultraprocessed foods of concern' and 'restricted school foods.'
- Mandates that schools begin phasing out restricted school foods and ultraprocessed foods of concern no later than July 1, 2029.
- Prohibits vendors from offering these specific food types to schools starting on July 1, 2032.
- Requires vendors to report yearly data about the quantity of processed foods sold to schools between February 1, 2028, and February 1, 2032.
- Directs state agencies to submit annual reports with analysis and recommendations on reducing these foods in schools through July 1, 2032.
- Prohibits public schools from serving or selling meals containing these restricted items starting on July 1, 2035.
Who It Names or Affects
- The State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Education
- Food vendors who sell products to California schools
- School districts, county superintendents of schools, and charter schools serving kindergarten through grade 12
Terms To Know
- Ultraprocessed food
- A category of food that the bill defines for certain school-related purposes.
- Restricted school foods
- Specific types of food defined by regulations to be phased out and eventually prohibited in schools.
- Ultraprocessed foods of concern
- A subset of ultraprocessed foods linked to health harms that must be phased out and eventually prohibited.
Limits and Unknowns
- The specific list of banned or restricted food items is not in this text; it will depend on regulations adopted by June 1, 2028.
- Food sold during school fundraising events may be exempt from the sales ban starting July 1, 2035.
- Reimbursement for costs imposed on schools depends on a future determination by the Commission on State Mandates.