Kentucky Bill: HB 277

Bill Summary

HB 277 amends KRS 158.850 to define “ultra‑processed food” as any food product containing a specified list of additives (including certain synthetic dyes, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, titanium dioxide, and other chemical substances identified by CAS number) and, beginning with the 2027–28 school year, prohibits schools from selling or providing such ultra‑processed foods to students during the school day. The ban applies to all food made available on campus during the school day—including in cafeterias, vending machines, school stores, canteens, and student or teacher fundraisers—while still allowing fast food no more than one day per week and permitting fundraisers off school property or outside school hours to continue without restriction.

Why It Matters to the Make America Healthy Again Movement

The MAHA Movement strongly supports this bill because it directly targets ultra‑processed additives and junk ingredients in school food environments, ensuring that taxpayer‑funded meals and snacks rely more on real, minimally processed foods instead of chemically laden products. By applying the restriction to all school‑day food channels on campus, HB 277 advances MAHA’s goal of making clean, additive‑limited eating the norm for kids whenever they are at school, not just in the main lunch line.