Gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is advocating for a plan similar to one the Florida Legislature has declined to advance — removing ultra-processed foods from school lunchrooms.
Donalds, a Republican and former member of the Florida House, wants ultra-processed food, artificial dyes, and “harmful additives” removed from school meals.
“When a kid sits down in a cafeteria, parents want to know what’s on that tray. When they fill a cup at the fountain, we want to know what’s in that water,” Donalds said in a news release.
“Florida doesn’t have to wait on Washington to catch up. We already grow the food and we already have the farmers ready to supply it. This isn’t radical, it’s what every parent expects at their own kitchen table, and it’s what Florida is going to deliver to every Florida student.”
Ag commissioner says Legislature should chop ultra-processed school lunches
Still, Florida lawmakers last year sounded like they prefer to wait for Washington.
During the 2025 legislative session, Sen. Jon Martin, R-Fort Myers, introduced SB 1826, which would’ve defined the term “ultra-processed food” and prohibited schools from serving or selling it.
That bill was heard in the Senate Agriculture Committee, but amid concerns from lobbyists in the food and beverage industry it died. He did not introduce the bill again in 2026.
Those lobbyists suggested that banning certain ingredients would leave consumers questioning their confidence in the food supply.
In addition to those concerns were logistical ones, including finding new food suppliers and buying food that would likely cost more on already-tight cafeteria budgets. Well-established school food suppliers would likely either have to create separate products meeting Florida standards or schools would have to find new suppliers.
In October, in advance of the 2026 legislative session, state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said he was dedicated to addressing students’ “diet of ultra-processed foods,” particularly in Florida school lunches.
Following a report from President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, Simpson said that, pending federal action, he “is committed to defining and addressing ultra-processed foods during Florida’s upcoming legislative session.”
“Schools that receive federal lunch subsidies are required to follow a meal pattern that limits added sugars, sodium, and carbohydrates, but do not set limits on UPF consumption, leading to excessive intake of sugar, processed carbohydrates, processed fats, and sodium among children,” the MAHA report states.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services hosts the Farm to Schools program, which focuses on getting Florida farm products into school lunches.
He wants to ramp up that program with “a dedicated appropriation to build the supply chain clean food standards need.”
Donalds billed the plan as a commitment to agriculture producers.
He also wants to require schools to post menus and ingredients on the internet and to “guarantee every Florida child access to clean, tested water at school and at home.”
