Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Friday seeking to limit access to ultra-processed foods, a directive he viewed as a continuation of California’s “nation-leading” nutrition and health standards.
“The food we eat shouldn’t make us sick or cause lifelong consequences,” Newsom said in a statement. “For years, California has been a leader in creating healthy and delicious school meals and removing harmful ingredients and chemicals from our food. Be on the leading edge. We will work with industry, consumers and experts to combat ultra-processed food and create a healthier future for every Californian.
The order directs state agencies to develop recommendations to limit the health hazards of ultra-processed foods and calls on the government to develop recommendations to reduce government food benefit recipients from purchasing candy, soda and other unhealthy foods made with synthetic dyes or additives.
The move comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term with an iconoclastic former environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. Nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, but he has been an outspoken critic of ultra-processed foods and has pledged to fundamentally reform the country’s food system. Food dyes, pasteurized milk and seed oils are among the common items he criticizes, sometimes making health claims that have no scientific basis.
Although Newsom did not mention Kennedy, the Democratic California governor is raising a preemptive flag around the issue and signaling his refusal to concede to the incoming Trump administration. His executive order includes a long list of steps the state is taking to improve nutrition.
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their natural state, such as frozen vegetables, while ultra-processed or highly processed foods are foods that have been significantly altered from their natural state, such as packaged chips or soft drinks. Research shows that ultra-processed foods make up the vast majority of the U.S. food supply.
Golden State does lead nation in banning food additives, Newsom says Sign the 2023 bill This makes California the first U.S. state to ban four additives in popular cereals, sodas, candies and beverages.
this California Food Safety Law The bill was colloquially known as the “Skittles Ban” before it passed because earlier versions of the bill also targeted titanium dioxide, which is used to color Skittles and several other popular candies. But the final law was changed to remove references to the substance and ban only brominated vegetable oils, potassium bromate, propyl paraben and No. 3 red dye.
Last year, Newsom signed a separate bill becomes law Ban snacks containing a variety of synthetic food colorings sourced from California public schools. When the law takes effect on December 31, 2027, it will prohibit the sale of popular snacks such as Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in school vending machines or cafeterias.
Laws protecting students from sugary drinks date back decades: In 2009, California banned all K-12 schools from serving soda.
The governor’s order cited links between “ultra-processed foods” and cancer, obesity, diabetes and other health problems. The order said the United States allows more than 10,000 chemicals to be used in food, color additives or ingredients, while the EU allows 300 chemicals.
Newsom asked the California Department of Public Health to provide recommendations by April 1 to limit hazards associated with ultra-processed foods and food ingredients that pose health risks, which could include warning labels. He tasked the California Department of Social Services with issuing recommendations to reduce California food stamp users from purchasing soda, candy, other ultra-processed foods or foods made with synthetic food dyes or additives at the same time.
Among multiple health directives, his order also requires state agencies to identify areas to improve standards for healthy school meals and investigate the negative health effects of food dyes.
As Kennedy prepares for his Senate confirmation hearing, ultra-processed food is likely to become a focus of national discussion in the coming weeks.
Kennedy is a well-known anti-vaccine activist who has promoted numerous false health claims and fringe conspiracy theories. But his stance against food additives also brought support from unlikely accomplices who have criticized other parts of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.
“Yes, there are some things he supports that we would agree with, but they feel more like the clock stops right twice a day,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. In an earlier interview with The Times, he said ——Take food additives as an example.
Lurie described Kennedy’s potential appointment more broadly as a dangerous choice because of his inability to “tell the difference between good science and bad science.”
If Kennedy is confirmed by the Senate, the Food and Drug Administration—the agency that Kennedy may be most publicly concerned about—could be significantly influenced by his leadership.
The agency, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has vast authority to regulate about 77% of the U.S. food supply and oversee the safety of nearly $4 trillion worth of food, tobacco and medical products. According to federal data.
