New California laws will create a voluntary seal for non-ultra-processed products, require warnings on high-sugar drinks and expand healthier children’s meal options.
California has pushed ahead with another round of food-law experiments, cementing its role as a national test case for how states regulate nutrition labels, school food and restaurant disclosures. In the closing months of its 2025-26 legislative session, the state enacted measures that would create a voluntary “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” seal, require chain restaurants to flag drinks high in added sugar, and expand healthier options on children’s menus. The National Agricultural Law Center said the package continues California’s recent run of food-related legislation and could offer a template for other states.
The most closely watched measure, Assembly Bill 2244, directs the California Department of Public Health to build a certification programme for foods that do not meet the state’s definition of ultra-processed food. The law follows California’s 2025 statute defining ultra-processed food and limiting certain products in schools, and it bars certification for foods that meet the state’s ultra-processed criteria, are classed as foods of concern or fall into the restricted school-food category. According to legislative summaries, the seal is voluntary, but any product carrying it must be certified by an accredited agent and recertified every three years, with reformulated products needing fresh approval before using the seal again.
AB 2244 also creates a formal system for certifiers. The department must accredit certification agents by June 1, 2029, and those agents must register, complete training, renew annually and provide product lists to the state. California will publish their registration information, maintain a public database of certified foods and establish fees for both agents and products, with the money flowing into a Public Health Food and Nutrition Education Fund. The law also gives the state authority to police misuse of the seal, while consumers, businesses and non-profits can also sue over improper use. Large grocery stores face a separate duty: if they sell more than 25 certified items and have more than $10 million in annual sales, at least three of those products must be clearly identifiable to shoppers.
The state’s other major food-label measure, Senate Bill 869, turns to restaurant menus. It requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations under the same name to place an added-sugar icon beside beverage items that hit at least 100 per cent of the FDA’s daily value for added sugar, using the value in place on January 1, 2026. The icon is a sugar cube inside a black triangle, and it must appear on every menu format a chain uses, including drive-through boards and printed menus. Digital options such as QR codes are allowed, but restaurants must still provide another way for customers to see the information. The law takes effect for compliance on January 1, 2029.
Senate Bill 977 adds a separate requirement for children’s meals. If a chain restaurant offers any children’s meal, it must also offer at least one that meets nutrition standards tied to calories, sodium, saturated fat, added sugars and trans fat, while also containing at least two qualifying food groups such as fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat or whole grains. The standards reflect the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell framework. By July 1, 2027, covered restaurants must include compliance information in employee training. Taken together, the new laws suggest California is not just regulating what food is sold, but also how shoppers and families encounter it at the shelf and on the menu.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
