Bill Text: IL HB4686 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2028, the owner of each restaurant in the State shall include in all of the restaurant's menus and online menus clear and conspicuous notices identifying each menu item that contains a major food allergen, as defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Establishes penalties for violations of this requirement.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced) 2026-02-06 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB4686 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB4686-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026HB4686 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
410 ILCS 625/3.08
Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2028, the owner of each restaurant in the State shall include in all of the restaurant's menus and online menus clear and conspicuous notices identifying each menu item that contains a major food allergen, as defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Establishes penalties for violations of this requirement.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning health.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act is
amended by changing Section 3.08 as follows:
(410 ILCS 625/3.08)
Sec. 3.08. Food allergy awareness.
(a) A restaurant shall display a notice indicating to
consumers that any information regarding food allergies must
be communicated to an employee of the restaurant.
(b) An employee of a restaurant who receives allergy
information from a consumer shall communicate the consumer's
information to the restaurant's person in charge or the
certified food protection manager on duty. A person working
with a consumer's food must take necessary safety precautions
when preparing the food to avoid cross contamination of the
food with allergens.
(c) A restaurant meets the requirements of this Section if
the restaurant displays a notice regarding food allergies or
provides a statement regarding food allergies on its menu that
was approved in another state before the effective date of
this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly.
(d) A multi-state business or a franchisee, as that term

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is defined in the Franchise Disclosure Act of 1987, meets the
requirements of this Section if the multi-state business or
franchisee has an internal policy that requires a notice
regarding allergies to be displayed or a statement regarding
food allergies to be provided on the menu.
(e) On or before January 1, 2020, the Department of Public
Health shall create and make available on its website for
download the notice required to be displayed under subsection
(a) of this Section.
(f) From the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
101st General Assembly through July 1, 2020, enforcement of
this Section shall be limited to education and notification of
the requirements of this Section to encourage compliance.
(g) Beginning January 1, 2028, the owner of each
restaurant in the State shall include in all of the
restaurant's menus and online menus clear and conspicuous
notices identifying each menu item that contains a major food
allergen, as defined in subsection (qq) of Section 201 of the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The owner of a restaurant who violates this subsection is
subject to a fine of $500 for a violation of this subsection
and an additional $500 fine for each menu item that contains a
major food allergen but does not contain the notice required
under this subsection.
When conducting an inspection of a restaurant, inspectors
for the Department of Public Health and local health

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departments shall visually verify that the menus and online
menus used by the restaurant meet the requirements of this
subsection. The Department of Public Health or a local health
department may order the immediate cessation of operations at
any restaurant if one or more violations of the allergen
notice requirements of this subsection are observed during 5
separate food safety inspections.
(Source: P.A. 101-495, eff. 8-23-19.)