California Assembly Bill 1264
Session 20252026
Pupil nutrition: restricted school foods and ultraprocessed foods of concern: prohibition.
Became Law
Became Law on Oct 8, 2025
Origin Chamber
Assembly
Type
Bill
Bill Number
1264
State
California
Session
20252026
Motion Text
AB 1264 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
Assembly Roll Call Votes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ávila Farías
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Johnson
Yes
Yes
Yes
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Summary
(1) Existing law, the California Nutrition Monitoring Development Act of 1986, requires the State Department of Public Health to assess the availability and adequacy of existing state and local food and nutrition data systems. The act requires different state departments, including the State Department of Education, to provide to the State Department of Public Health, upon request, nutrition-related data collection forms, documentation, and reports of various programs.
This bill would define "ultraprocessed food" for certain school-related purposes and would require the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations, on or before June 1, 2028, to define "ultraprocessed foods of concern" and "restricted school foods," as specified. The bill would require the department, when defining ultraprocessed foods of concern and restricted school foods, to consider specified factors, including, among others, whether, based on reputable peer-reviewed scientific evidence, a substance or group of substances are linked to health harms or adverse health consequences, as specified. The bill would require schools, as defined, to begin to phase out restricted school foods and ultraprocessed foods of concern by no later than July 1, 2029. Beginning July 1, 2032, the bill would prohibit a vendor from offering restricted school foods and ultraprocessed foods of concern to a school.
This bill, on or before February 1, 2028, and on or before February 1 of each year thereafter through February 1, 2032, would require a vendor to report specified information to the State Department of Public Health for each food product sold to a school in the past calendar year, including, among others, the total quantity of food product sold to schools and whether that food product is an ultraprocessed food, a restricted school food, or an ultraprocessed food of concern. The bill, on or before July 1, 2028, and on or before July 1 of each year thereafter through July 1, 2032, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to submit to the Legislature and the Governor a report that contains, among other things, a summary and analysis of the information reported to the State Department of Public Health by vendors and recommendations for state and local legislative actions that could reduce the consumption of ultraprocessed foods, restricted school foods, and ultraprocessed foods of concern in schools. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to consult with the State Department of Education regarding compliance training and technical assistance for school food service and procurement staff for these purposes and would require the State Department of Public Health to establish a structure to deliver training and technical assistance to local educational agencies.
(2) Existing law requires the State Department of Education to develop and maintain nutrition guidelines for school lunches and breakfasts, and for all food and beverages sold on public school campuses, consistent with the requirements for a nutritionally adequate breakfast and a nutritionally adequate lunch. Existing law defines a nutritionally adequate breakfast and a nutritionally adequate lunch for these purposes to mean those that qualify for reimbursement under the most current meal pattern for the federal School Breakfast Program and the federal National School Lunch Program, respectively.
Existing law requires a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to make available a nutritionally adequate breakfast and a nutritionally adequate lunch, free of charge, during each schoolday to any pupil who requests a meal without consideration of the pupil's eligibility for a federally funded free or reduced-price meal. Existing law authorizes a school operated and maintained by a school district or county office of education, from the midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official schoolday, to sell food and beverages other than meals reimbursed by specified federal nutrition programs, only if the food or beverages meet dietary guidelines, as specified, depending on grade level.
This bill, beginning July 1, 2035, would prohibit a school district, county superintendent of schools, or charter school maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, from offering a nutritionally adequate breakfast or lunch that includes restricted school foods or ultraprocessed foods of concern, as provided, and would prohibit a school operated and maintained by a school district or county office of education from selling food or beverages, except for food items sold as part of a school fundraising event, containing those restricted school foods or ultraprocessed foods of concern, as provided.
(3) To the extent this bill would impose additional requirements on public schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
02/21/25 - Introduced
February 21, 2025
03/28/25 - Amended Assembly
March 28, 2025
04/21/25 - Amended Assembly
April 21, 2025
05/29/25 - Amended Assembly
May 29, 2025
06/23/25 - Amended Senate
June 23, 2025
07/18/25 - Amended Senate
July 18, 2025
09/04/25 - Amended Senate
September 4, 2025
09/16/25 - Enrolled
September 16, 2025
10/08/25 - Chaptered
October 8, 2025
04/07/25- Assembly Education
April 7, 2025
04/25/25- Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials
April 25, 2025
05/12/25- Assembly Appropriations
May 12, 2025
05/28/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
May 28, 2025
05/30/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
May 30, 2025
06/30/25- Senate Education
June 30, 2025
07/14/25- Senate Environmental Quality
July 14, 2025
08/15/25- Senate Appropriations
August 15, 2025
08/30/25- Sen. Floor Analyses
August 30, 2025
09/08/25- Sen. Floor Analyses
September 8, 2025
09/08/25- Senate Health
September 8, 2025
09/09/25- Sen. Floor Analyses
September 9, 2025
09/12/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
September 12, 2025
Sort by most recent
10/08/2025
California State Legislature
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 467, Statutes of 2025.
10/08/2025
California State Legislature
Approved by the Governor.
09/24/2025
California State Legislature
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
09/12/2025
Assembly
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 1. Page 3388.).
09/12/2025
Assembly
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
09/11/2025
Senate
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0.).
09/09/2025
Senate
From committee: That the measure be returned to Senate Floor for consideration. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (September 9)
09/08/2025
Senate
(Ayes 5. Noes 0.)
09/08/2025
Senate
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(b).
09/08/2025
Senate
Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(b).
09/08/2025
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
09/04/2025
Senate
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
08/29/2025
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
08/29/2025
Senate
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 29).
08/18/2025
Senate
In committee: Referred to suspense file.
07/18/2025
Senate
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
07/18/2025
Senate
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 16).
07/02/2025
Senate
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on E.Q. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 2). Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
06/23/2025
Senate
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on ED.
06/18/2025
Senate
Referred to Coms. on ED. and E.Q.
06/04/2025
Senate
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
06/03/2025
Assembly
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 65. Noes 1. Page 1989.)
05/29/2025
Assembly
Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 1789.)
05/27/2025
Assembly
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
05/23/2025
Assembly
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (May 23).
05/14/2025
Assembly
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
04/30/2025
Assembly
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
04/30/2025
Assembly
Coauthors revised.
04/22/2025
Assembly
Re-referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.
04/21/2025
Assembly
Read second time and amended.
04/10/2025
Assembly
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on E.S & T.M. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 9).
04/01/2025
Assembly
Re-referred to Com. on ED.
03/28/2025
Assembly
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ED. Read second time and amended.
03/28/2025
Assembly
Referred to Coms. on ED. and E.S & T.M.
02/24/2025
Assembly
Read first time.
02/22/2025
Assembly
From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.
02/21/2025
Assembly
Introduced. To print.
Sources
Record Created
Feb 22, 2025 5:56:12 AM
Record Updated
Oct 10, 2025 8:39:09 AM