Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
My name is Scott Faber, and I am the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs for the Environmental Working Group. I also teach Food Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to joining EWG, I was the Vice President for Federal Affairs for the Consumer Brands Association.
Processed foods are part of a healthy diet, and AB 1264 does not prohibit schools from offering processed foods. However, ultraprocessed foods are different from processed foods because they combine industrial ingredients and additives in ways that make foods hyperpalatable.
These industrially engineered foods are not simply delicious; they are literally irresistible because they:
- change the signals that are sent to our brain’s reward center.
- increase the speed with which that reward is delivered, and
- interfere with signals that tell us to stop eating.
More than half of the calories we consume are UPF – including 67% of the calories eaten by our children. Fortunately, many of our schools have already moved to eliminate UPF, replacing them with healthier processed foods, minimally processed foods, and whole foods from local farms. These schools have shown us we don’t need to make expensive changes to school kitchens to phase out the most harmful UPF.
Because AB 1264 places the burden on vendors to stop selling harmful UPF to our kids, it will be food companies – not our school food professionals – who will be required to distinguish among minimally processed foods, processed foods, ultra-processed foods, and the most harmful UPF.
Again, under AB 1264, only harmful UPF will need to be reformulated. As someone who worked for food companies, I’m confident that my food industry colleagues can meet this challenge.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I respectfully request an “aye” vote on AB 1264.
