California is taking its fight against ultraprocessed foods beyond the schoolhouse and into the supermarket, with a new bill that would create the nation’s first official seal for foods that are not ultraprocessed — and require grocery stores to put those products where shoppers can easily see them.
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) introduced the legislation, which was first reported by POLITICO, earlier this week. If passed, the bill would establish a “California Certified” seal for food products that meet the state’s definition of not being ultraprocessed. Stores would be required to display those products prominently — at the ends of aisles and other high-visibility spots.
The bill is modeled after the familiar “USDA Organic” label. Starting in June 2028, food companies could apply to an accredited certification agent to have their products approved for the “California Certified” seal. Certifications would need to be renewed every three years.
Under legislation passed last year, California defines ultraprocessed food as any food or beverage that contains flavor or color enhancers and is high in saturated fats, sodium, or specific added sugars or sweeteners. More broadly, as outlined in a legal analysis by Jones Day, the state’s working definition also covers substances like stabilizers, thickeners, emulsifiers, non-nutritive sweeteners, and artificial flavoring agents.
“Now we’re taking the next logical step to continue that work, which is addressing ultraprocessed foods in our grocery stores,” Gabriel told POLITICO. “But we’re doing it in a way that strengthens consumer choice and encourages innovation.”
Bernadette Del Chiaro, who leads California operations for the Environmental Working Group — a nonprofit that has worked with Gabriel on previous food-related bills — praised the approach. “There’s a lot of manufacturers that make claims about their products that aren’t necessarily all that clarifying for consumers,” she said. “The beauty of this idea is because the label will absolutely say ‘not ultraprocessed,’ it will be a beacon for consumers.”
The new grocery store bill follows a wave of food-safety legislation in Sacramento. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a law phasing ultraprocessed foods out of school lunches. The state has also banned certain food dyes, including red 40, from being sold in schools by 2027, and prohibited chemicals like brominated vegetable oil from being sold in California by that same year.
The push to clean up the American food supply has grown into a rare bipartisan cause. A poll conducted by POLITICO and Public First this month found that more than 60% of Americans support removing ultraprocessed foods from store shelves — including 73% of President Donald Trump voters and 66% of former Vice President Kamala Harris voters.
At the federal level, the issue has been championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement. Kennedy’s “Eat Real Food” campaign, which launched during the Super Bowl, has focused heavily on steering Americans away from what he calls “highly processed” foods.
Food manufacturers have pushed back. According to POLITICO, national food companies have escalated their opposition in recent months, arguing that new regulations drive up consumer costs and that state-level ingredient rules “risk undermining the system.”
Gabriel was direct in responding to that resistance. “Those who are trying to protect the broken status quo need to read the room, and they’re deeply out of step with the American public,” he told POLITICO.
California is not alone in this effort. West Virginia recently banned seven food dyes, and more than 25 states are weighing similar proposals. New York and Illinois have already introduced legislation modeled after California’s earlier food safety laws. The bill now moves through the California legislature, where its fate will be closely watched by food manufacturers, health advocates, and policymakers across the country.
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