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AB-800 • 2026

State prisons: food.

State prisons: food.

Crime
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Ortega
Last action
Official status
Assembly - Died - Appropriations
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

AB-800: Rules for Food Prices and Choices in State Prison Vending Machines

This law requires the Department of Corrections to price vending machine food at community market rates, consider research on junk food causing obesity when providing prison meals, and encourage fresh items from local sources.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires all food in prison vending machines to be priced at the same average market retail price as stores in the nearby community.
  • Requires the department to consider existing research linking junk foods and snacks to obesity when providing food in state prisons.
  • Encourages offering affordable, fresh, and nutritious items in prison vending machines.
  • Encourages buying food from local farmers and producers.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  • People held in state prison facilities

Terms To Know

Average market retail price
The usual cost people pay for the same food item at stores outside the prison.
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The state agency in charge of running prisons and caring for inmates.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill encourages healthy food but does not require removing all junk food.
  • Local sourcing is encouraged, not required from every local farmer.
  • No specific start date is listed in the provided text.

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Assembly - Died - Appropriations

Official Summary Text

State prisons: food.