California Governor Gavin Newsom has acted to try to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in the state.
Newsom issued an executive order on Friday (3 January) directing state agencies to recommend potential actions to limit exposure to UPFs and food ingredients that “pose a health risk to individuals”.
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Targeting UPFs – typically convenient packaged food items containing added fats, starch, sugar, salt or hydrogenated oils – is the latest push on health in the Golden State.
Newsom has previously ordered restrictions on sodas and caffeine in schools and a proposed sugar limit on non-dairy milk, which is set to take effect this year.
His latest executive order – which has also ordered further investigation into the health effects of synthetic food dyes – cites a new 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report indicating that 73% of US adults aged 20 and older are overweight or obese and 38% of children and youth aged 12 to 19 are pre-diabetic.
Newsom wants agencies to explore the use of public funds from California’s hospitals and Medi-Cal Managed Care programme to improve access to fresh, healthy food and advance public health.
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By GlobalDataIn his statement announcing the initiative, he said: “The food we eat shouldn’t make us sick with disease or lead to lifelong consequences. California has been a leader for years in creating healthy and delicious school meals and removing harmful ingredients and chemicals from food.
“We’re going to work with the industry, consumers and experts to crack down on ultra-processed foods and create a healthier future for every Californian.”
The move chimes with the views at the national level of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to be named as health secretary in President-elect Trump’s new administration.
He has previously called for a ban on certain food additives and the removal of UPFs in school meals.
Newsom has charged the California Department of Public Health and The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment with providing recommendations by 1 April.
They should include actions to “reduce the purchase of soda, candy, other ultra-processed foods and/or foods with synthetic food dye or other additives”.
Health watchdog The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has welcomed Newsom’s crackdown on UPFs.
In a statement, it said: “We commend the governor’s efforts to make food safer. CSPI has long advocated for safer foods in California, including supporting legislation that banned Red 3 and the remaining synthetic dyes in school foods.
“We are also strong supporters of warning labels on certain ultra-processed foods, namely those high in sodium and added sugars.”
Just Food has asked US food industry organisation FMI for its reaction to the California move, outside of US office hours.
In 2023, California became the first US state to codify President Biden’s new federal guidelines on school nutrition standards to reduce sugar and salt in school meals.
