A California bill would require restaurants to disclose whether menu items contain any of nine common allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, sesame and soybeans. Restaurants could provide allergen details on printed menus, charts, allergen-specific menus or via QR codes linking to digital menus. Food trucks and carts would be exempt. The Legislature is expected to vote on Senate Bill 68 in September, and the law would take effect July 1, 2026, if signed. Supporters include a state senator with severe allergies who cites European disclosure rules as inspiration.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Braxton Kimura dreads eating at restaurants. The California teenager is severely allergic to peanuts, shellfish and most tree nuts. Consuming even a tiny amount could send him to the emergency room. "Eating out is definitely really dangerous. It's something that I try to avoid," Kimura, 17, said at his home in San Jose. "When dining out, obviously I always bring my EpiPens, and I'm really nervous all the time."
State lawmakers are set to vote on legislation that would make California the first U.S. state to require restaurants to disclose whether a menu item contains any of the nine most common food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, sesame and soybeans. Restaurants could post the allergen information on physical menus, an allergen chart, allergen-specific menu or other printed materials. They can also post a QR code to access a digital menu that lists allergens.
"It's really to protect the millions of people in California who have allergies like me," said Democratic state Sen. Caroline Menjivar of the San Fernando Valley, who introduced the bill earlier this year. Menjivar, who is severely allergic to most nuts and fruits, said she's had to go to the hospital multiple times for anaphylaxis - a life-threatening allergic reaction - to something she accidentally consumed. The Southern California lawmaker got the idea for the legislation last year while traveling in Europe, which has required restaurants to disclose food allergens since 2014.
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