Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Friday seeking to limit access to highly processed foods, an order he said is a continuation of California's “leading” food and health standards.
“The food we eat shouldn't make us sick or lead to lifelong consequences,” Newsom said in a statement. “California has been a leader for many years in creating healthy and delicious school meals, and removing harmful ingredients and chemicals from food. We will work with industry, consumers and professionals to reduce processed foods, and build a healthier future for every Californian.”
The directive directs government agencies to make recommendations to reduce the health risks of highly processed foods and asks for suggestions to reduce the consumption of sweets, soda and other unhealthy foods made with artificial dyes or additives by recipients of government food benefits.
The move comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term, with the iconoclastic former environmentalist. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as nominated to the position of secretary of Health and Labor. Kennedy still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, but he has been a vocal critic of highly processed foods and promised to overhaul the nation's food system. Food dyes, processed milk and seed oils are among the common things he criticizes, sometimes making health claims that are not backed up by science.
Although Newsom did not mention Kennedy, the Democratic governor of California is planting the first flag on the issue and showing his refusal to concede territory to the Trump administration. His executive order included a long list of measures taken by the state to improve nutrition.
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their natural state, such as frozen vegetables, while highly processed – or highly – processed foods are foods that have been significantly altered from their natural state, such as packaged chips or soft drinks. Highly processed foods make up a large portion of the US diet, research shows.
The Golden State has indeed been a national leader in banning food additives, with Newsom to sign the 2023 bill making California the first state in the nation to ban four additives found in popular cereals, soda, candy and beverages.
I California Food Safety Act it was colloquially referred to as the “Skittles ban” before its passage because an earlier version of the bill also targeted titanium dioxide, which is used to color Skittles and several other popular candies. But the final rule was amended to remove the reference to the substance, banning only brominated vegetable oils, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No.
Last year, Newsom signed A separate bill became law that the snack bars contain a number of artificial dyes from California public schools. That law would ban popular snacks like Flamin' Hot Cheetos from being sold in school vending machines or cafeterias when it takes effect on Dec. 31, 2027.
Laws to protect students from sugary drinks go back decades: In 2009 California banned all K-12 schools from serving soda.
The governor's order highlights the link between “highly processed foods” and cancer, obesity, diabetes and other health problems. This directive says that the US allows more than 10,000 chemicals in food, color additives, or ingredients, compared to 300 allowed in the European Union.
Newsom requires the California Department of Public Health to issue recommendations by April 1 to limit the dangers associated with highly processed foods and food additives that pose health risks, which would include warning labels. He directed the California Department of Human Services to issue recommendations to limit California food stamp users' purchases of soda, candy, other highly processed foods, or foods made with artificial food dyes or additives in the same timeline.
Among several health directives, his order also requires federal agencies to identify areas to increase healthy eating levels in schools and investigate the negative health effects of food dyes.
Highly processed foods will likely be at the forefront of national discourse in the coming weeks as Kennedy prepares for his Senate confirmation hearing.
Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccination activist, promoted a number of health claims and false conspiracy theories. But his positions against food additives are also four I brought support to unlikely bedfellows who criticized some parts of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
“Yes, there are things he supports that we can agree on, but they feel like a stopwatch that is right twice a day,” Dr. Peter Lurie, president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Dr. said in an earlier interview with The Times — citing dietary supplements as one example.
Lurie characterized Kennedy's possible nomination widely as a dangerous choice because of his inability to “see the difference between good and bad science.”
The Food and Drug Administration — perhaps the most public agency in Kennedy's territory — could have a major impact on his leadership if he is confirmed by the Senate.
The agency, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has a huge mandate, regulating about 77% of the US food supply and overseeing the safety of about $4 trillion in food, tobacco and medical products, according to the organization's data.
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