Pupil nutrition: particularly harmful ultraprocessed food: prohibition.

Assembly Member Gabriel's comprehensive school nutrition legislation establishes new standards for food served in California schools by defining and phasing out ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) deemed particularly harmful to student health. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment must develop regulations by July 2026 to identify harmful UPFs based on scientific evidence linking ingredients to specific health impacts, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders.

The bill creates a multi-year implementation timeline, requiring schools to begin phasing out harmful UPFs by January 2028 and prohibiting vendors from offering these products by January 2032. Starting December 2027, specific artificial food colorings like Red 40 and Yellow 5 will be banned from competitive foods sold on campus. By July 2035, school breakfast and lunch programs must eliminate all foods classified as particularly harmful UPFs.

Vendors must submit detailed annual reports through 2032 on food products sold to schools, including nutritional information, ingredients, and UPF classification. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment will analyze this data and provide recommendations to the Legislature on reducing UPF consumption in schools. The bill preserves local authority to enact stricter UPF restrictions while requiring biennial updates to harmful UPF definitions to incorporate new scientific findings.

The legislation amends existing Education Code provisions on competitive foods and beverages to align with the new UPF standards. Schools maintain eligibility for federal and state meal reimbursements by complying with both current nutritional requirements and the additional UPF restrictions. Small businesses, cottage food operations, and microenterprise home kitchens are exempt from certain reporting mandates.