On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jointly published the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In announcing the updated...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released the highly anticipated 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which the Trump Administration...more
Ultra-processed foods are a staple of diets throughout the nation. For many, these foods are more accessible, affordable and convenient due to their long shelf lives and ready-to-eat nature....more
On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) released the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (“DGAs” or “Guidelines”), representing the...more
California has become the first state in the U.S. to legally define “ultra-processed foods” (UPFs) and to begin phasing them out of K-12 schools. Under Assembly Bill 1264 (AB 1264), also known as the Real Food, Healthy Kids...more
Federal, state, and private actions are accelerating across color additives, labeling and packaging, heavy metals, ultraprocessed foods, and insurance preparedness. As the regulatory landscape continues to rapidly evolve,...more
Key Takeaways - What happened: California enacted the first state ban on certain ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) in public school meals....more
On October 8, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1264, which makes California the first state to legally define so-called “ultra-processed food” (“UPF”)....more
On September 16, 2025, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1264 (AB 1264), creating a statutory definition of “ultra-processed foods” (UPFs) and requiring the removal of certain “UPFs of concern” from school meal...more
Generally, independent schools intentionally refrain from participating in the majority of federal funding programs, preserving their ability to ensure the educational program is provided in a manner that is reflective of...more
California Assembly Bill 1264 reflects continued state interest in restrictive legislation directed at the food and beverage industry and, in particular, food additives. ...more
With the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as Brooke Rollins as secretary of the Department of Agriculture, key leadership impacting the nation's food supply is changing...more
Last Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California School Food Safety Act (AB2316). The new law will prohibit California's public schools from serving school meals containing any of the following synthetic...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued updated guidance on substantiating animal-raising and environment-related labeling claims on meat and poultry products. In the...more
In this month's article, we share some of our top "bites" for the prior and current month covered during the August 2024 webinar....more
The CFPB’s latest focus on consumer fees is targeting payment processors for school lunches. The CFPB says that families who choose to purchase school lunches are being forced to pay fees to companies that process their...more
On July 25, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report on the costs and potential risks to families using electronic payment platforms to load money to their children’s school lunch accounts. The...more
On July 25, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released an Issue Spotlight focusing on the fees associated with electronic payment platforms used by school districts to process school lunch payments. In...more
The CFPB recently released a report on payment processing companies that manage school lunch payments for school districts. The companies, the report argues, cater to a captive market and often impose transaction fees that...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently issued a final rule to update its school nutrition standards, requiring changes to school meal programs starting in the 2025-2026 school...more
For several years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) has been working to revise the dietary requirements for the National School Lunch Program (“NSLP”) and other federally funded school meal programs. On February 7,...more
At its March 10, 2023 meeting, the General Assembly’s Education Committee began the process of approving bills. The following is a brief summary of the bills that the Committee voted favorably on and advanced out of...more
FREE SCHOOL LUNCH - Thursday night, the House passed a bill (HF5) to provide free breakfast and lunch in schools to all K-12 students. The bill, which has a price tag of about $200 million, now heads to the Senate for a...more
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert M. Califf announced in a Jan. 31 statement that the agency intends to reorganize its Human Foods Program and Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) after receiving the...more
Happy New Year! Several Illinois laws related to schools became effective January 1, 2023, and our team at Franczek P.C. has compiled them in its new School Law Legislative Update, focused on new laws in effect in 2023. A PDF...more