California is moving to make it easier to spot whether a drink contains an entire day’s worth of added sugar. Under a new state law, chain restaurants will be required to mark certain high-sugar beverages with a warning icon.
Here’s what to know
By Jan. 1, 2029, restaurants with 20 or more locations will need to flag qualifying sugary drinks with a menu symbol. According to SFGate, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law, and the icon will be a sugar cube inside a black triangle that appears on printed, drive-thru, and digital menus.
Only beverages are covered, including drinks sold at chain restaurants, cafes, and delis. For the warning to apply, a drink must meet the law’s USDA-based added-sugar threshold of 50 grams or more.
Menus will also need to explain what the symbol indicates. A news release from state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson’s office said beverages are a leading source of added sugars in American diets, SFGate reported.
The law also sets up a clash between public health priorities and business concerns. The California Restaurant Association opposed the bill, arguing that it would be costly for restaurants and unnecessary because menus are already required to list calorie information.
More background
California is not banning these drinks or restricting what customers can buy. Instead, it is requiring large chains to give consumers a clear signal when a beverage exceeds a high sugar threshold.
“With SB 869 now signed into law, Californians will have clearer information about added sugar in certain beverages right on restaurant menus, giving families another tool to make informed choices for themselves and their children,” Weber Pierson said, per SFGate.
The release also cited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2025 Early Childhood Nutrition Report, which found that more than half of children ages 1 to 5 had a sugary drink at least once a week in 2022 and 2023.
Where can I learn more?
The law is one of several policy changes affecting what diners see and what restaurants serve. These stories look at dye bans, packaging rules, and restrictions on plastics.
• At least a dozen states are banning artificial food dyes, reshaping groceries and school meals.
• KPMG found sustainable food packaging laws are pushing restaurants to reconsider menus and operations.
• In Long Branch, New Jersey, new single-use plastic rules are changing what restaurants hand out.
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