Senator Bernie Sanders’ bill to ban junk food advertising to children and require warning labels on ultra-processed foods advanced in the Senate HELP Committee on July 22, with lawmakers voting 12-10 in a bipartisan manner to move the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act of 2026 toward a full Senate floor vote.
The legislation marks the first federal effort to restrict marketing of unhealthy foods to minors, a measure Sanders said is necessary to combat what he called the “greed” of the food industry. The bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to implement strong warning labels on foods high in added sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and other nutrients of concern, while banning paid advertisements for such products when directed at children.
Beyond labeling and advertising restrictions, the bill directs the National Institutes of Health to investigate the dangers posed by ultra-processed foods and instructs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a national education campaign for children and caregivers. The legislation defines ultra-processed foods as those containing industrial ingredients such as stabilizers, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, and high-intensity sweeteners—excluding products that meet the FDA’s existing definition of “healthy” and infant formula.
In a statement after the committee vote, Sanders drew a comparison to decades-old tobacco regulation. “Nearly 30 years ago, Congress had the courage to take on the tobacco industry, whose products killed more than 400,000 Americans every year,” Sanders said. “Today, on a bipartisan basis, the Senate HELP Committee finally stood up to the greed of the food and beverage industry.”
The bill’s passage out of committee represents a shift in the political landscape around food regulation. An earlier version of the legislation died in 2024, but the reintroduced 2026 version gained traction amid growing bipartisan interest in food industry practices, partly influenced by the Make America Healthy Again movement and health-focused policy discussions in Washington. The bipartisan 12-10 vote signals that concerns over ultra-processed food consumption now cut across traditional partisan lines.
The legislation faces opposition from food industry groups and advertising organizations, which have raised First Amendment concerns about restricting commercial speech. However, the committee vote suggests enough lawmakers believe the public health case for action outweighs those concerns. The bill must now navigate the full Senate, where it will face further debate before any potential passage.
Sources
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — Official press release confirming the 12-10 committee vote on July 22, 2026, and detailing the bill’s provisions for warning labels, advertising restrictions, and NIH/CDC directives.
- STAT News — Reporting on the bipartisan nature of the committee vote and context about the bill’s reintroduction after a 2024 failure, plus information on the Make America Healthy Again movement’s influence on the legislation.
- Cheese Reporter — Details on the specific definition of ultra-processed foods under the bill and the types of warning labels and advertising restrictions the legislation would impose.
