Bill > AB2034

This bill, concerning food safety and ingredient disclosures, aims to enhance consumer protection by establishing new regulations for food additives and requiring more transparency from manufacturers. It defines certain food additives and dietary ingredients as unsafe for human consumption if they are found to induce cancer, and generally deems them unsafe unless they meet specific criteria, including being introduced before a certain date or complying with new notice and public listing requirements. Starting July 1, 2027, individuals intending to use new food additives or dietary ingredients must submit a notice to the State Department of Public Health (department), which will then verify and publish this information in a public database. The department will also have the authority to issue or deny licenses for these additives, considering factors like bans in other jurisdictions due to health concerns, and can establish user fees for these processes. Furthermore, by July 1, 2027, manufacturers of packaged foods sold in California must provide the department with a list of products that do not individually list all their ingredients on the product label, and for each such product, identify any ingredient not explicitly named. This bill also introduces new crimes, thus imposing a state-mandated local program, but clarifies that no reimbursement is required for local agencies or school districts due to specific constitutional provisions.