- Noah Marty
- Legislative/Communications Assistant
- Noah.Marty@asm.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO, CA — Yesterday, the California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2244, landmark legislation designed to empower Californians to make better informed and healthier choices by increasing transparency around ultraprocessed foods. AB 2244 would establish a first-in-the-nation “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” seal that food manufacturers could place on products that meet clear standards for not being ultra-processed. Modeled after the widely recognized “USDA Organic” label, the seal would provide consumers with a simple, trustworthy way to identify healthier options with a quick glance. The bill also would require grocery stores in California to feature products bearing the “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” seal on display, thereby making it easier for busy families to find healthier foods quickly and conveniently.
“While Washington D.C. is paralyzed by inaction, Republicans and Democrats in California are joining forces to empower consumers to avoid harmful ultra-processed foods,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D - Encino). “Like the USDA Organic label, this new seal will empower consumers with clear, trustworthy information and make it easier for them to locate healthier foods that are free from harmful additives. Parents shouldn't need a Ph.D. in chemistry to understand what they’re feeding their kids.”
The bill passed 74-0 in the California State Assembly. Notably, the California Grocers Association, a powerful trade association representing more than 6,000 food stores and grocery supplier companies, has now officially endorsed AB 2244.
Research has increasingly linked high consumption of ultra-processed foods to serious health harms, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorders, reproductive harm, and other chronic conditions. Despite these risks, many consumers struggle to distinguish between minimally processed and highly processed products due to confusing labels and marketing practices. AB 2244 employs a commonsense approach that provides manufacturers the opportunity to highlight healthier products and helps consumers identify them more easily. It likewise creates a voluntary, market-based incentive for manufacturers to reformulate products in order to qualify for the “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” seal, thereby helping to drive innovation and promote healthier options across the food supply without limiting consumer choice.
AB 2244 Builds on California’s National Leadership in Addressing Ultra-Processed Foods
In recent years, California has emerged as a national leader in addressing the growing health risks associated with ultra-processed foods. Last year, Assemblymember Gabriel authored and Governor Newsom signed into law The Real Food, Healthy Kids Act (AB 1264, 2025), groundbreaking legislation which established the nation’s first statutory definition of ultra-processed foods and set up a process to ban harmful products from California schools. Assemblymember Gabriel also successfully passed into law two other landmark bills with bipartisan support: the California Food Safety Act (AB 418, 2023) and the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316, 2024). Collectively, these laws have helped change the national conversation about food additives and ultra-processed foods, shaped federal policy, and inspired similar legislation across more than 30 other states.
AB 2244 Will Empower Consumers
Despite this progress, consumers continue to face significant challenges in identifying healthier food products. Ingredient lists are often long, technical, and incomplete, leaving families without clear, accessible tools to distinguish between minimally processed and highly processed foods.
AB 2244 would address this challenge by creating a simple certification program that would empower consumers with clear, front-of-package information and improve access to healthier options through strategic in-store placement. Modeled after the successful and widely recognized “USDA Organic” label, this legislation would establish a process overseen by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) where food manufacturers could apply to accredited certification agents to use the “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” label on their packaging, thereby indicating that a product meets clear standards for not being ultra-processed.
The legislation also would require grocery stores in California to display products with the “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” seal. AB 2244 represents the next phase of California’s efforts to improve public health, reduce diet-related disease, and ensure that consumers have the tools they need to make informed decisions.
What Public Health Experts and Community Leaders Are Saying About AB 2244
“The astronomical growth of ultraprocessed foods has created one of the most pressing public health challenges in America today. Americans overwhelmingly believe that UPFs are linked to long-term health risks and want to reduce their consumption, but many don't know where to start. By creating a simple, California-backed Non-UPF certified label, AB 2244 will help consumers navigate confusing grocery aisles. It will help people quickly and easily identify non-UPF foods and give companies that want to help consumers a powerful incentive to offer more non-UPF options. EWG is proud to support this landmark piece of legislation.” – Melanie Benesh, Vice President of Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group
“There’s a common misperception that without ultra-processed foods we’d either have nothing to eat, or we’d have to cook all our meals from scratch. But that could not be further from the truth. In reality, thousands of packaged foods would be considered non-ultraprocessed under the California law. Consumers just need to be able to find them. ” – Alyssa J. Moran, ScD, MPH, Deputy Director, Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, University of Pennsylvania
“We have a long road ahead to a food supply free from harmful chemicals and a healthier America. In the meantime, we must give consumers the tools and knowledge to make healthier food choices. By creating a ‘Non-Ultraprocessed Certified’ seal to help identify healthier, non-UPF options, Assemblymember Gabriel continues to advance California’s leadership in the fight to reduce consumption of the hyperpalatable, addictive ultra-processed foods driving our nation’s chronic disease crisis.” – Todd Wagner, entrepreneur and co-founder of FoodFight USA
What’s Next
The legislation now heads to the State Senate where it is expected to be heard in committee in the coming weeks.