Chain restaurants: children’s meals.

Senator Weber Pierson's children's meal legislation establishes new nutritional requirements for California chain restaurants, requiring them to offer at least one meal option that contains no more than 550 calories, 700 milligrams of sodium, and meets other specific dietary criteria. The measure applies to restaurants with 20 or more locations operating under the same name and menu.

Under the bill's provisions, qualifying children's meals must include at least two servings from designated food groups: a half-cup of fruits or vegetables, a half-cup of low-fat dairy, specified portions of meat or meat alternatives, or eight or more grams of whole grains. Additional nutritional parameters limit saturated fat to 10% of total calories, added sugars to 15 grams, and prohibit trans fats entirely. The bill's findings note these standards align with federal dietary guidelines and industry nutrition frameworks.

Chain restaurants must train their existing staff on these requirements by July 1, 2026, and provide ongoing training to new employees. Local enforcement agencies are required to notify affected restaurants in their jurisdictions of these changes by April 1, 2026. The measure maintains the current classification of children's meal violations as infractions under the California Retail Food Code while adding these new standards to existing beverage requirements.