California bill would require restaurants to disclose food allergens on
menus
[August 23, 2025]
By TERRY CHEA
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — 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.”
Restaurant dining in California could soon become a little less
stressful for Braxton and the growing number of Americans with severe
food allergies.
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.
Food trucks and carts wouldn't be required to make changes.
In September, the Legislature is expected to vote on Senate Bill 68,
known as the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences Act (ADDE). If
approved and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the new law would take effect
on July 1, 2026.
“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.
Soon after Menjivar returned to the U.S., she was approached about
sponsoring legislation by parents whose daughter has severe allergies.
Since then 9-year-old Addie Lao has become the bill’s most visible
advocate, appearing in social media videos, news interviews and
legislative hearings.
“I want to be able to eat out with my friends and family like everyone
else,” the third grader told state senators in Sacramento in April. “I
have to avoid the foods I’m allergic to since it’s like poison to my
body and can harm me.”
The bill has the backing of numerous groups representing medical
practitioners and people who suffer from asthma and allergies.
But the California Restaurant Association opposes the legislation. The
group says the law would increase costs and burdens on restaurants that
are already struggling with rising food prices, tariffs, labor shortages
and cost-conscious consumers.
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Braxton Kimura shows his EpiPens at home on Wednesday, Aug. 13,
2025, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
 The restaurant industry wants more
flexibility in how allergen information is posted as well as more
liability protections.
“You get into a situation where the menu becomes unwieldy and it
becomes incredibly impractical and expensive to be constantly
converting menus out with each ingredient shift that may occur and
the need to do a new allergy notification,” said Matthew Sutton,
senior vice president at the California Restaurant Association.
Some restaurant chains — such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Red Robin
Gourmet Burgers and Olive Garden — already post allergen information
on their menus.
Brian Hom, who owns two Vitality Bowl restaurants in San Jose, is
one of the bill's biggest backers. His oldest son died on his 18th
birthday in 2008 after he accidentally ate peanuts at a resort in
Mexico.
This legislation “is going to save lives," Hom said. "I don’t want
to see anybody suffer what my wife and I are suffering.”
An estimated 33 million Americans, including nearly 4 million in
California, have at least one food allergy, according to the
nonprofit Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). And the
numbers are rising.
Among them is Kimura, who was diagnosed with food allergies at 14
months old when he was rushed to the hospital in anaphylactic shock
after eating a peanut off the floor.
“I always have to be cautious,” Kimura said.
Kimura, a high school senior and basketball player, launched an
initiative called Beyond the Shell, which produced a documentary
called “The Last Bite” that shows what it’s like to live with
life-threatening allergies.
Even if SB 68 becomes law, Kimura says he'd still need to talk to
restaurant staff to make sure dishes are allergen-free and there's
no cross-contamination, but allergen labels would reduce the stress
of eating in restaurants.
“It would kind of give me more of a peace of mind and would overall
just create a better environment and more awareness around food
allergies as a whole,” Kimura said. “It’s definitely a step in the
right direction.”
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