If you operate a restaurant, you know that keeping up with changing food regulations is a necessary part of the job. And with new legislation coming out of California, nutrition information is once again taking center stage.
In September 2026, California signed two new bills into law that focus on added sugar and healthier children’s meals. While the changes won’t happen overnight, they’re another reminder that restaurants need to know what’s in their food and be ready to share that information with guests.
And California isn’t the only place making changes. New York City has already introduced requirements around added sugar and sodium, which raises a good question for foodservice operators everywhere: Could similar rules be coming to your area next?
What’s Changing in California?
Let’s start with the two new laws and what they mean for restaurants.
Senate Bill 869 (SB 869) focuses on beverages that meet or exceed the FDA’s daily value of 50 grams of added sugars. Beginning January 1, 2029, covered chain restaurants in California will be required to display a warning icon next to beverages that meet the law’s added-sugar threshold. The goal is to make it easier for consumers to recognize beverages with high added-sugar content before ordering.
Senate Bill 977 (SB 977) focuses on children’s meals. Under the new law, covered chain restaurants offering kids’ meals must provide at least one option that meets specific nutrition standards, including no more than 550 calories, 700 milligrams of sodium and 15 grams of added sugar. The qualifying meal must also include at least two specified food-group servings.
For restaurants, this could mean taking another look at kids’ menus, portion sizes and ingredients to see where adjustments might be needed. And there’s a reason lawmakers are paying attention.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children and young adults ages 2–19 consumed an average of 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day in 2017–2018. Another study found that 71.9% of children’s meal combinations at leading restaurant chains didn’t meet expert nutrition standards for several key nutrients. These numbers are a good reminder that even small menu changes can make a difference.
California Isn’t Alone
If you’re thinking these changes only matter to restaurants in California, think again! New York City has already implemented menu warning requirements for both sodium and added sugar. Covered chain restaurants must display a sodium warning icon next to items containing 2,300 milligrams or more of sodium. In October 2025, the city also began enforcing added-sugar warnings for certain packaged foods and equivalent menu items containing at least 50 grams of added sugar.
According to the New York City Department of Health, the newer added-sugar requirements affect approximately 4,000 restaurants across the city. While these laws aren’t identical, they do have something in common: they’re making nutrition information more visible and encouraging restaurants to take a closer look at what’s on their menus.
Will more cities and states follow? Only time will tell, but it’s certainly something worth keeping an eye on, especially for operators that have multiple locations.
Is Your Menu Ready for What’s Next?
Here’s where things get interesting for foodservice operators. Whether or not your restaurant is currently affected by these laws, having accurate nutrition information is becoming increasingly important. If you don’t know exactly how much added sugar is in a beverage or how much sodium is in a children’s meal, how can you know whether it meets a particular standard?
And even if you’ve already completed a nutrition analysis, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re off the hook. Suppliers change products, ingredients get substituted, recipes are adjusted and portion sizes can shift. All of those changes can affect the nutritional information behind a menu item.
The good news? You don’t have to wait until new legislation takes effect to get ahead of the game. Taking time now to review your recipes, understand their nutritional content and identify opportunities for adjustments can help make future changes much easier to manage. That’s where MenuTrinfo® comes in.
Our nutrition analysis services help restaurants and foodservice operators better understand what’s in their menu items, from calories and added sugar to sodium and other important nutrients. Whether you’re reviewing your kids’ menu, preparing for new labeling requirements or simply looking to provide more accurate information to your guests, our team can help.
Nutrition regulations may continue to evolve, but having reliable information about your menu is always a smart place to start. Ready to take a closer look at your menu? Contact our team today to learn how our nutrition analysis services can help you stay informed, prepared and ahead of the curve.
