Governor signs menu labeling legislation creating statewide standards
On Tuesday, September 30, 2008 Governor Schwarzenegger, joined by the CRA, signed Senate Bill 1420 by Alex Padilla (D -Pacoima), which establishes a first-in-the-nation statewide standard for menu labeling.
The bill preempts the local ordinances that were enacted in Santa Clara and San Francisco earlier this year. The CRA had pursued litigation against these ordinances, and argued that a statewide standard was more reasonable for restaurants and their customers than a patchwork of differing local mandates.
SB 1420 requires restaurants with 20 or more locations in the state to post calorie information on their menus and menu boards by January 1, 2011. The bill takes effect July 1, 2009, and provides that brochures containing either calorie content information or other nutritional information, including saturated fat, carbohydrates and sodium, will be available at the point of sale in restaurants until menu and menu board labeling is fully phased in.
“The California Restaurant Association came to the table with Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Padilla to help shape this bill to recognize the needs and concerns of our members,” said Jot Condie, president and CEO of the California Restaurant Association. “SB 1420 creates a single statewide standard with the flexibility and phased-in implementation that our members requested, and does so without creating any new opportunities for lawsuits against California’s restaurateurs.”
