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Legislators Propose Processed Food Ban
There’s an RFK-inspired plan for healthier school lunches at the Wisconsin Capitol.
State Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, and Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing, on Wednesday proposed a ban on ultra-processed foods in school lunches across the state.
“With 15% of Wisconsin students ages two to 17 being obese, we need to support our children by supplying them with nutritious lunch options instead of foods that are known to contain carcinogens,” Moses said. “Our kids need to be encouraged to eat healthier, and this starts at home and what is served to them at school.”
Questions about ultra-processed food have been top of mind since President Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services.
Moses and Cabral-Guevara’s plan is out for sponsorship, so there’s no sense yet just how much support they have.
They explain their idea in their sponsorship memo.
“The legislation proposed defines an 'ultra-processed food' as a food or beverage that contains brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, azodicarbonamide, red dye 3, or titanium dioxide, and would prohibit it from being served as part of a free or reduced-priced meal for breakfast or lunch in schools.”
The two say their proposal “gives school districts broad flexibility to work with current food vendors to meet the healthy requirements to provide meals to students.”
“Consumption of ultra-processed foods has only increased, encompassing nearly 70% of what our kids eat,” Cabral-Guevara added. “This has been followed by the doubling of the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in children and other compounding health complications. As a mom and nurse, I want to make sure that if the government is funding a meal for our kids, it is healthy and safe for consumption.”
The deadline for co-sponsors is Monday. After that, the plan would have to get a hearing before it could see a vote.
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