Diners out in the Lone Star State can now expect a side of allergen info with their meals, as Texas restaurants ramp up their food safety protocols. According to KXAN, from September 1 onwards, eateries across the state are mandated to display posters that detail major food allergies, the symptoms to watch out for, and the appropriate responses to allergic reactions. This move isn't just about checking a legal box. it's a measure steeped in tragedy and prompted by the loss of Sergio Alexander Lopez, a McAllen resident who died after consuming peanut-contaminated food at a restaurant that assured him otherwise.

The legislative push, embodied in the Sergio Lopez Food Allergy Awareness Act, steers Texas's restaurant industry towards greater transparency and safety, aiming to protect those among the increasingly allergic American populace - a group that's swelled by 50 percent over the past two decades, and sadly for Sergio, whom the act is named, died after consuming a taco in which the presence of peanuts was overlooked, employees told him it was safe, but as the stark history reveals, it was fatal misinformation, as detailed by Haynes Boone.

Haynes Boone echoes the law's specifics, stating that the Act covers restaurants, retailers, and other food-service establishments all tasked with the education and training of employees on the gravitas of food allergies.