With sweeping allergen compliance laws taking effect this year in California and New York, and several other state governments actively considering such legislation, menu transparency is poised to be a defining trend for the foodservice industry in 2026.
Menu intelligence platforms like California-based EveryBite and Foodini are leveraging artificial intelligence to help operators meet the upcoming legal
Erica Anderman, Foodini’s chief operating officer and co-founder
requirements and usher in a phase of ordering clarity for customers with dietary restrictions, food allergies and other ingredient avoidances.
According to Erica Anderman, Foodini’s chief operating officer and co-founder, the current wave of food allergen compliance laws is only foreshadowing even broader legislation.
“California is usually who is going to pave the way in this type of regulation,” Anderman said. “But (given) how quickly we’ve seen other states move, food allergens are not a partisan issue. There’s a lot of Republican and red states where their kids have food allergies, so I think this is absolutely going to move to a federal level.”
Lucy Logan, Everybite co-founder
Lucy Logan, co-founder of Everybite, summarized how the impending menu transparency transformation may ultimately benefit operators in a January 8 article titled “2026: The Year Allergen Laws Come for Restaurants.”
“At the end of the day, transparency isn’t a cost center, it’s one of the highest-ROI investments a restaurant brand can make,” Logan said. “When guests feel understood and safe, they spend more, return more and trust your brand more.”
California Senate Bill 68
Last October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 68, also referred to as the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences Act, into law. The first-in-the-nation legislation takes effect July 1, requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more global locations and at least one California unit to disclose the top nine major allergens for every standard menu item.
According to the California Restaurant Association, the law applies to both physical and digital menus. Permanent restaurant locations must either provide food allergen disclosure details directly on menus (adjacent to each item) or in a digital format, such as a QR code linking to an online menu.
“It’s the first statewide requirement saying: ‘You must show allergens at the menu level,’” Logan said. “If you’re a chain with 20+ locations and a presence in California, you now have a hard, dated requirement that will drive your entire menu and tech stack.”
The SB 68 disclosure requirements pertain to printed menus, menu boards, drive-thru boards, kiosks, websites, online apps and online ordering platforms. The CRA noted that even if restaurants opt for digital disclosure, customers must still have access to alternative written formats, such as allergen-specific menus or allergen charts.
Anderman said the requirement exposes a gap in the labeling process for operators, especially with regard to third-party delivery platforms. Essentially, the law requires operators to manually update information everywhere their menus appear to remain in compliance.
“You have these people saying you could take a picture of a menu item and it’ll tell you what’s in there with AI,” Anderman said. “AI is only as good as the data input that goes into it — what you’re training it on.”
“If you don’t have a data source that has transparency down to the ingredient level, well, then we’re going to have a very messy situation on our hands,” Anderman added “which is what you’re starting to see with some of these third parties guessing and using AI to determine what’s likely in a dish, which is resulting in lawsuits because they’re inaccurate.”
Foodini and Everybite work with restaurants, tech providers and other partners, allowing guests to filter menus by allergens, diets and other factors, including items that can be customized to fit their requirements.
“The operators who treat this as a guest experience and revenue opportunity (not just a compliance chore) will win: more trust, more repeat visits (and) more digital engagement,” Logan said.
Food allergen disclosure beyond California
While California is pioneering menu transparency requirements with SB 68, Anderman and Logan expect the Golden State’s policy to be the beginning of a broader transformation.
New York’s State Assembly Bill 6558 and Senate Bill 5381 regarding allergen labeling for prepackaged food, for instance, take effect in November.
Logan described those laws as attacking a different allergen blind spot: delis, bakeries and café grab-and-go offerings. Those laws require every food establishment to label prepackaged food prepared and prepacked on the same premises with a written allergen notification on the package or its label.
Anderman said she has noticed a stark uptick in interest in AI-powered menu intelligence as food allergen transparency laws approach implementation.
“I think it took a little while for restaurants to be notified about it, but we’re now getting a ton of inbound from law firms who are hearing from their restaurant partners (and) insurance companies,” Anderman said.
According to Logan, SB 68 and New York’s prepackaged food labeling laws are a preview of what is to come across the nation, rather than exceptions.
“If you zoom out, here’s the pattern: Allergens are moving from the back office to the menu,” Logan said. “California SB 68 and New York’s premises-packed law are the first, but almost certainly not the last.”
