Newsom signs legislation aimed at making Californians healthier

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a batch of consumer-health bills Monday, including AB 2244, which creates a voluntary “California certified” seal for foods that avoid ultraprocessing, and AB 1731, which sets up a state fund to get minimally processed, California-grown food into K-12 schools by 2028.

Other bills in the package require chain restaurants to offer a children's meal under 550 calories, ban single-use vapes starting in 2027, outlaw vapes disguised as highlighters or pens, and forbid selling over-the-counter diet pills to minors. A separate bill lets the state health agency partner with GLP-1 drugmakers to try to lower weight-loss drug costs.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel framed the seal as proof that California can act while 'Washington D.C. is paralyzed by inaction.' The bills mostly phase in over the next two to nine years, including a 2035 deadline for getting ultraprocessed food out of school cafeterias entirely.

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