California Will Require Restaurants to Disclose Major Allergens Under New Law
On October 13, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 68, also known as the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences (ADDE) Act, into law. The legislation received significant bipartisan support and will take effect on July 1, 2026.
The law makes California the first U.S. state to require allergen disclosures on restaurant menus for restaurant chains with 20 or more locations.
About the ADDE Act
The goal of the ADDE Act is to ensure that consumers are clearly informed about the presence of major food allergens in menu items, bringing allergen disclosure for restaurants more in line with long-standing requirements for packaged foods.
What the ADDE Act Requires:
- Requires restaurants with 20 locations or more (the same threshold used by federal menu-labeling rules) to provide written disclosure if any of the 9 major food allergens are present in menu items to customers.
- Restaurants must display allergen information either:
- Directly on printed menus, or
- In a digital format, such as via a QR code linking to an allergen chart or an allergen-specific menu. However, if a digital format is used, the restaurant must also provide a printed alternative.
What the ADDE Act Doesn’t Require:
- The law does not require allergen disclosures for restaurants with fewer than 20 locations.
- Beyond existing monetary fines under the health code, it does not enforce additional penalties.
- The law doesn’t address precautionary allergens or require disclosure of allergens that the food items “may contain”.
How ENTR Can Help
ENTR makes it easy to track allergens every step of the way - from your ingredients to your final recipe. If you need to make allergen disclosures simple and streamlined, contact us today.
