California lawmakers on Sept. 16 approved Assembly Bill 1264, a bipartisan measure that aims to eliminate “ultraprocessed foods of concern” from public school menus. 

The bill directs the California Department of Public Health to identify foods that should be removed from public schools by June 1, 2028, based on scientific evidence and their proven connection to health harms such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. The bill requires schools to begin phasing out these foods on July 1, 2029 and finish by July 1, 2035. 

Authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, the bill is one of the first to clearly define ultraprocessed foods as those with “high amounts of saturated fat, sodium or added sugar… or a nonnutritive sweetener,” along with other key identifiers. 

IUSD already adopted Administrative Regulation 3551 in 2006, requiring district guidelines for food to “meet or exceed state and federal nutrition standards.” Regarding the new bill, IUSD plans to wait until the CDPH establishes more specific restrictions. However, IUSD continually assesses and updates its menus through staff meetings, taste tests and product evaluations. 

“Here in our central kitchen and our central office, we work as a team,” nutrition supervisor Meghan Norton said. “We meet with vendors, we go to food shows and we are continuously looking at new products that we can offer our students.”

Most color additives have already been removed from school food offerings, and IUSD’s partner vendors have proactively adhered to nutrition guidelines. Future menu changes will focus on reducing sugar and sodium levels.