This toolkit is focused on implementation and enforcement of policies that improve the options offered on kids’ menus at restaurants in your community. We've structured this toolkit as a roadmap to guide your campaign, with academic research, case studies, model policies, messaging guidance, and other resources you may need. Included throughout are links to additional resources, developed by CSPI and by our partners, for your deeper learning.
This resource is CSPI's letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, requesting him to sign the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316), a bill that prohibits California public schools from serving food containing harmful food colors. In particular, this bill prohibits schools from serving food containing Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, or Green 3, which are synthetic dyes that the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) confirmed can cause neurobehavioral difficulties in some children.
The final rule “Revision of the Nutrition Facts Labels for Meat and Poultry Products and Updating Certain Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed” and the proposed rule “Changing the Labeling Requirements for Processed Products That Contain Nitrate or Nitrite” have both been delayed multiple times. CSPI writes to request a meeting to understand what is causing these delays and help facilitate the timely release of these two rulemakings affecting transparency and consumer health.
Packing lunch for school? Our 14 best tips will ensure your child has a healthy, safe, allergen-free meal full of vitamins, fiber, calcium, and protein.
Eating fresh, seasonal produce is easy with our guide to choosing, preparing, and storing the best in-season fruit and vegetables available in September.
Many restaurants have updated their children’s menus to better support children’s health, such as through the introduction of healthy default beverages or the adoption of whole menu nutrition standards. Ordering food online for pick-up in-store or delivery is now a common way people interact with restaurants. While convenient, online ordering can limit customers’ abilities to ask questions and make substitutions. Restaurants that offer online ordering options must provide the same choices that are available on-site to ensure consistency and convenience, while still prioritizing children’s health.
This guide offers advice on how restaurants can still promote healthier options on their kids’ menu on online ordering platforms, while allowing for substitution and customer choice.
A Listeria outbreak in deli meat from Boar's Head has caused multiple deaths and a recall of certain products. Learn more about the bacteria and food safety tips.
The cereal aisle is full of brightly colored boxes and flashy marketing…and many kids are full of opinions. Here are 7 tips to help you wade through your supermarket’s sea of cereal boxes together and choose a winner that’s rich in whole grains, not too sugary, free of food dyes, and kid friendly. We've included a list of more than two dozen healthy cereals for kids that fit the bill.