Chain restaurants in Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park must update kids' menus and add sugar warnings under three bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Monday, Sept. 28.

The new laws target children's meal nutrition, sugary drink labeling and ultra-processed food packaging. Local chains with 20 or more locations statewide, including McDonald's on Iron Point Road in Folsom and Town Center Boulevard in El Dorado Hills, and Chick-fil-A on East Bidwell Street in Folsom, fall under the requirements.

The first deadline hits July 1, 2027. Under SB 977, authored by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chain restaurants must offer at least one children's meal of no more than 550 calories, 700 milligrams of sodium, 10 percent of calories from saturated fat and 16 grams of added sugar, KCRA reported. The meal must also include at least two servings of fruit, vegetables, dairy, meats and meat alternatives, or whole grains. Existing kids' menu items can stay. Restaurants must train employees on the new standards by that same deadline.

By Jan. 1, 2029, SB 869, also authored by Weber Pierson, will require those same chains to display a warning icon next to any beverage containing more than a full day's recommended added sugar. The New York Post described the icon as a sugar cube inside a black triangle. University of California, Davis research found diners ordered more than 10 grams less added sugar when they saw similar warning labels, according to the New York Post.

The California Restaurant Association pushed back, calling SB 869 duplicative in a statement. The trade group said large chains already post calorie counts under existing law and called the measure another burden on an industry struggling in a regulation-heavy state.

"Parents shouldn't need a Ph.D. in chemistry to understand what they're feeding their kids," Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) said in a statement Sept. 28.

Gabriel authored a third bill, AB 2244, which creates a voluntary "non-ultra-processed certified" seal for food packaging. California is the first state to establish such a program, according to the governor's office. The state Department of Public Health must accredit certification agents by June 1, 2029. Grocers with more than $10 million in annual revenue will be required to prominently display at least three qualifying products if they stock more than 25 certified items, according to Just Food.

AB 2244 passed the state Senate 32-0 and the Assembly 72-0.

The Institute of Food Technologists has cautioned that individual state labeling programs could create fragmented standards before federal regulators finalize a national definition of ultra-processed foods. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and USDA have submitted a proposed federal definition for final review, according to Just Food.

Local franchise operators have not publicly commented on the new requirements. The next milestone for area chain restaurants is employee training on kids' meal standards, due before the SB 977 rules take effect.