AB 2535 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

School meals: State Healthy Food Access Policy.

Summary

Existing law establishes various food assistance programs, including the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law declares that it is the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food. Existing law requires all relevant state agencies, as specified, to consider this state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, and grant criteria when those policies, regulations, and grant criteria are pertinent to the distribution of sufficient affordable food. This bill would revise that declaration to provide that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food that is locally grown and raised. The bill would require the specified state agencies to, within existing resources, identify opportunities and strategies to improve farm-to-fork infrastructure, including, but not limited to, in public programs, particularly school meals and other nutrition initiatives. The bill would require the Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and encourage the Regents of the University of California, to consider that state policy in their policies, guidelines, and procurement practices related to campus food services and student nutrition.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 20, 2026 Last action May 14, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/16/26 - Amended Assembly → AB2535 · 1 edit

MINOR

This diff reflects a formatting and presentation change only, converting the bill text from a traditional legislative document layout (with line numbers and page headers) to a web-based display format (with navigation menus, search tools, and metadata). The substantive policy content of AB 2535 is identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted from a traditional legislative document layout with line numbers and page headers into a web page format with navigation elements (skip to content, home, accessibility, FAQ, search tools, etc.). No policy language was added, removed, or altered.

02/20/26 - Introduced → 03/16/26 - Amended Assembly · 8 edits · Mar 16, 2026

MODERATE

The amendment substantially expands AB 2535 from a simple legislative intent statement about school meals into a bill that amends the state's food access policy in the Welfare and Institutions Code. It adds a requirement for multiple state agencies to identify strategies to improve farm-to-fork infrastructure within existing resources, extends the policy to campus food services at CSU and community colleges, and inserts 'locally grown and raised' into the state's declared right to food access.

Scope change

The bill expands from a narrow legislative intent statement about school meals and ultraprocessed foods to a broader amendment of the state's food access policy that applies across multiple state agencies, public nutrition programs, and higher education campus food services, with a new emphasis on locally grown and raised food products.

SCOPE

The bill now amends Section 18700 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, expanding its reach beyond a standalone intent statement about school meals to modify the state's existing food access policy declaration.

The Trustees of the California State University and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges are required to consider the local food policy in their campus food services and student nutrition practices. The UC Regents are encouraged but not required to do the same.

A new Section 1 adds legislative findings noting that ultraprocessed foods account for over 60 percent of children's calorie intake in the US and California, and that local sourcing supports the agricultural economy and reduces transportation-related environmental impacts.

DEFINITION

The state policy declaration is changed from 'every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food' to 'sufficient locally grown and raised, affordable and healthy food,' inserting a local sourcing preference into the fundamental right.

A definition of 'food insecurity' is added to Section 18700, describing it as the occasional or constant lack of access to needed food due to insufficient money or other resources.

REQUIREMENT

State agencies (CDSS, CDFA, DHCS, CDE, CDPH) are now required to identify opportunities and strategies to improve farm-to-fork infrastructure, including aggregation, processing, distribution, storage, and procurement systems, within existing resources, with particular focus on school meals.

TECHNICAL

A savings clause is added stating the section does not expand any state obligation to provide food or nutrition assistance or require expenditure of additional resources to develop food infrastructure.

The fiscal committee designation changes from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now requires fiscal committee review, likely due to the new agency obligations.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

lower

May 13, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Mar 17, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on HUM. S.

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HUM. S. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HUM. S.

lower

Feb 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors