California Passed Food Safety Legislation
State laws focused on removing synthetic additives from school meals and defining ultraprocessed foods.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Nutrition
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In 2024 and 2025, California enacted the California School Food Safety Act and the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act. These measures established new standards for food served in state schools and created a legal definition for ultraprocessed food products.
Why it matters
The legislation reflects growing concerns over the impact of synthetic ingredients on children. Some studies have suggested a possible link between specific synthetic food dyes and neurobehavioral issues, including ADHD.
The California Food Safety Act banned four specific additives: Red No. 3, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and propylparaben. Researchers have noted a nearly 70 percent rise in ADHD diagnoses among children.
The players
Jesse Gabriel
An Assemblymember representing Los Angeles County who authored the California Food Safety Act.
The details
To secure necessary support for the legislation, lawmakers removed titanium dioxide from the original proposal. The state also introduced a voluntary labeling system to identify minimally processed food ingredients for consumers.
Timeline
The California School Food Safety Act passed in 2024.
The Real Food, Healthy Kids Act was established in 2025.
The Big Picture
These measures represent an extension of the regulatory framework established by the California Food Safety Act. This trend moves California toward stricter state-level nutritional standards that diverge from existing federal guidelines managed in Washington, D.C.
Parents and students in California schools can expect changes in meal ingredients as districts comply with new additive restrictions. Families may also see new voluntary labels on food products that indicate the level of processing used in ingredients.
The takeaway
These laws signal a shift toward greater state oversight of ingredients in school nutrition programs. Residents can use the new voluntary labels to better identify minimally processed food items during their regular grocery shopping.
Further reading
For additional context, visit the Nutrition section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Cool Down.
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