Public Health – Restaurants – Disclosure of Main Food Allergens
HB0181 would require restaurants to provide customers with a written disclosure identifying each main food allergen, if any, that the restaurant knows or reasonably should know is included as an ingredient in each menu item. The disclosure could be provided directly on the menu, through a digital menu or QR code, or by other written materials such as an allergen chart, grid, booklet, or separate allergen-specific menu. The bill also specifies that the disclosure may use common allergen names or standardized pictograms, and it excludes prepackaged foods already covered by federal allergen labeling rules.
The bill amends Maryland’s Health-General Article by adding a new restaurant allergen disclosure section and renumbering existing provisions accordingly. It also makes a conforming change in the Education Article so that the definition of “facility” excludes restaurants subject to the new allergen disclosure requirement. The act is set to take effect October 1, 2026, and would create a new statewide restaurant disclosure obligation tied to menu items and known allergens.
If enacted, the bill would add a new state-level consumer disclosure requirement for restaurants and expand Maryland public health law governing food allergen information. Restaurants would need to maintain and provide written allergen information for menu items, while certain prepackaged foods would remain governed by federal labeling law. The bill would also require technical cross-reference changes in existing statutes, including a conforming amendment to the Education Article and renumbering of provisions in the Health-General Article.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded votes or committee testimony in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears to be precautionary and consumer-protection oriented. The measure is framed as a public health and transparency bill intended to help customers identify allergen risks before ordering food. No formal opposition, amendments, or divided vote history is provided in the record excerpt.
The main policy issue is the burden on restaurants versus the benefit to consumers with food allergies. Potential points of contention include whether the requirement is too prescriptive for restaurants, how restaurants would determine what they “reasonably should know” about ingredients, and whether digital-only or menu-based disclosures are sufficient. Another possible issue is the interaction with existing federal labeling rules and whether small or independent restaurants may face compliance challenges, though no specific objections are recorded in the provided materials.