San Francisco Passes Menu Labeling for Restaurants

On Monday, March 24th, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom signed the San Francisco local menu-labeling ordinance into law. This new law basically requires chain restaurants (20 or more) in the City and County of San Francisco to provide certain nutrition information directly on menus and menu-boards. In addition to printing the information on menus and menu boards, all affected restaurants are additionally required to post a poster with even more nutritional information than required on the menus and menu boards for each menu item. Regulators state that the new law is effective 30 days after the date it was signed and thus will go into effect April 23, 2008 (effective date). What this means is:

(1) On July 1, 2008, chain restaurants will first have to submit the required nutrition information for their menu items in an electronic format to the San Francisco Department of Public Health;

(2) 90 days after the ordinance effective date, disclosure for menus, food tags and posters is required;

(3) 150 days after the ordinance effective date, disclosure for menu boards is required.

The CRA has reviewed the ordinance and provided an overview chart. However, you are encouraged to review the ordinance in its entirety for more details.

The CRA actively opposed this ordinance and was the only organization to oppose the ordinance to the end. However, as is the case with the majority of California, local and state lawmakers favor this type of law and it is very difficult to stop these ordinances from passing. That is why the CRA is sponsoring a better menu labeling ordinance at the state level that ensures that nutritional disclosure law in California provides needed flexibility in the manner of disclosure (not just printed on menus and menu boards) and is more reasonable in general for restaurateurs in this state. We encourage you to support the CRA sponsored bill, AB 2572 (Parra). Click the link below to send a letter of support.

The alternative is far worse: SB 1420 (Padilla) which is similar to the San Francisco ordinance in requiring nutritional information to be disclosed only on the menus and menu boards. This bill is a re-introduction of last year's bad menu labeling bill that was vetoed and is also moving through the Legislature.

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"California Restaurant Association - Legislative Update"