California Congressman Jesse Gabriel has made a name for himself with a series of bills aimed at reducing the health risks of ultra-processed foods. So it may seem counterintuitive that inside his office there’s a pillow shaped like a bag of Skittles, depicting the brand’s signature upside-down rainbow and some oversized felt candies peeking through a clear plastic window.
“It’s an inside joke,” Gabriel explained on a recent afternoon over Zoom from his office in downtown Sacramento. His staff gave him a pillow after he introduced a bill in 2023 that opponents inaccurately called a “ban on Skittles.” In fact, Mr. Skittles has been alive and well since the California Food Safety Act was signed into law banning the use of four additives (including brominated vegetable oils and potassium bromate) that have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, reproductive problems, and other health problems. The Food and Drug Administration eventually followed California’s lead and took action against all four additives.
Gabriel was elected to the California State Assembly in 2018, but only in recent years has he emerged as a leader on the national stage in the fight against ultra-processed foods. Since the Food Additives Act of 2023, he has been the driving force behind another state law banning six types of artificial food colors, establishing the nation’s first legal definition of ultra-processed foods, and legislation banning them from school lunches.
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