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House approves food-allergy awareness requirements for restaurants
Summary
The Pennsylvania House passed House Bill 77 requiring retail food facilities to display employee food-allergy awareness information and to notify customers of common allergens; supporters said the measure balances public-safety needs with business concerns.
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Feb. 5 passed House Bill 77, a bill that requires proprietors of retail food facilities to prominently display information for employees about food-allergy awareness and to provide written notice on menus or other materials asking customers to inform staff of food allergies. The vote on final passage was 150 in favor and 52 opposed.
Supporters said the bill is a narrowly targeted public-safety measure aimed at reducing life‑threatening allergic reactions in restaurants. "House Bill 77 may appear to be a relatively small change to the agriculture code, but I believe this legislation can save lives," Representative Sara Mahalik said on the House floor, adding, "Food allergies are no joke." Representative Venkat, the bill’s sponsor, said his experience as an emergency physician and stories from constituents motivated the measure.
The bill adds a section to the Agricultural Code titled "food allergy awareness," requiring two actions by retail food proprietors: (1) post a notice for employees with basic food‑allergy awareness information, and (2) include on menus or other written communications a notice of common allergens and a request that customers inform staff about allergies. Proponents described the requirements as low-cost and intended to encourage communication between patrons and restaurant staff.
During floor debate, advocates cited statistics presented to the chamber, including the sponsor’s remark that about 1,000,000 Pennsylvanians have food allergies and that nearly half of fatal food‑allergy reactions nationally occur from food served at restaurants. Representative Venkat described treating severe anaphylactic reactions in the emergency room and recounted a constituent who died after an accidental exposure.
Opponents of the bill registered 52 votes against final passage; the transcript does not record individual names of members voting for or against. The bill passed the House on final passage and will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
Action on the measure included short floor remarks from stakeholder groups and lawmakers; the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association was mentioned in debate as expressing support for reasonable, non‑onerous standards.
The law, as described on the House floor, takes effect according to the bill’s implementation provisions once enacted by the General Assembly and the governor.
