Have you ever stood in the grocery store holding a package, squinting at a long list of ingredients you can barely pronounce? You are not alone, and California is trying to do something about it.
On March 25, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced Assembly Bill 2244. If it passes, California would become the first state to create a “California Certified” seal for foods that meet standards for minimal processing. Think of it like the USDA Organic label: a quick, trustworthy signal right on the package.
Gabriel put it plainly in his statement: “Parents shouldn’t need a Ph.D. in chemistry to understand what they’re feeding their kids.”
Why This Matters for What We Eat
Ultra-processed foods now make up about 60 percent of the total energy in the average American diet. Research has linked them to increased risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
Alyssa J. Moran, the deputy director at the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, explained the problem clearly. “Food companies are constantly adding new ingredients to the food supply without disclosing their purposes,” she said in Gabriel’s statement. “Making it almost impossible for most people to know whether a packaged food is ultra-processed or not.”
A simple seal on the shelf changes that. You would not need to read every ingredient. You could just look for the seal.
What Counts as Minimally Processed?
Minimally processed foods are altered for safety or convenience, but they still look a lot like their original form. Canned beans, frozen vegetables, plain yogurt, eggs, milk, and olive oil all fall into this category.
Ultra-processed foods, by contrast, tend to include additives you would never use at home — things like artificial flavors or emulsifiers. Soda, chips, and instant noodles are classic examples. A good rule of thumb: the shorter and more familiar the ingredient list, the better.
California Has Been Here Before
This is not California’s first move in this space. Back in 2023, the state banned four food additives — Red Dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and Propylparaben — requiring they be removed from products sold in the state by 2027. Gabriel also authored the Real Food, Healthy Kids Act, signed into law last year, which prohibits ultra-processed foods from public school meals by 2035.
There is also a national effort already underway. In October, a nonprofit called the Non-UPF Program announced it was overseeing the first U.S. certification for non-ultra-processed foods. That program uses the NOVA framework, which sorts foods into four groups based on how much processing they have undergone.
The new California bill would also require grocery stores across the state to prominently display products carrying the certified seal — not just label them, but actually make them easy to find in the aisle.
Melanie Benesh, the vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, called the move a step in the right direction. “Americans overwhelmingly believe that UPFs are linked to long-term health risks and want to reduce their consumption,” she said in Gabriel’s statement, “but many don’t know where to start.”