Restaurant State Legislation

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Massachusetts Restaurant Law Going Into Effect

Landmark Law Will Help Raise Awareness of Food Allergy among Restaurant Staff

After years of collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, and celebrity chef and FAAN Ambassador Who Cares Ming Tsai, the Food Allergy Awareness Act is being implemented throughout Massachusetts.

Restaurants in Massachusetts are now required to display a food allergy awareness poster (developed by FAAN) in the staff area and include a notice on menus and menu boards that reads "Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy."

The new law also includes food allergy training for certified food protection managers via a video featuring Ming Tsai, along with an accompanying training manual, FAAN's Welcoming Guests with Food Allergies, as well as allergen awareness training for certified food protection managers.

By February 1, 2011, restaurants in Massachusetts will have to have on staff a certified food protection manager who has been issued a Massachusetts certificate of allergen awareness training through a training program recognized by the MDPH.

The MDPH has selected the following three vendors to issue certificates of allergen awareness training:

  1. Berkshire Area Health Education Center www.berkshireahec.org
  2. CompuWorks Systems, Inc. www.compuworks.com
  3. Massachusetts Restaurant Association www.marestaurantassoc.org

More information about this important new law can be found on the MDPH website.

We hope that other states will follow the lead taken by Massachusetts. If you'd like to help enact a similar law in your state, email Chris Weiss at cweiss@foodallergy.org



New York City and St. Paul, MN Approve Food Allergy Awareness Posters for Restaurants

The New York City Council has approved a PDF proposal to require posters with information on food allergy to be placed in food service establishments. The posters would have to be available in multiple languages, including but not limited to Chinese, English, Korean, Russian, and Spanish.

The City Council of St. Paul, Minnesota has approved a similar measure. The St. Paul poster is modeled after a poster developed by FAAN and a flier created by the Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Association (AFAA) of Minnesota. Special thanks go out to Hospitality Minnesota, the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, restaurant industry representatives in Minnesota, and AFAA.