Edison town officials are considering a law that would require restaurants to create a food allergy-friendly menu.

“This will be the boldest, strictest and most impactful food allergy law in the state of New Jersey and in the United States,” says Edison Councilman Sam Joshi.

Joshi is proposing that all restaurants label their menus with all eight foods that fall under the federal Food and Drug Administration’s definition of an allergen. These include: Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.

The councilman says that it is meant to protect consumers from potentially life-threatening allergic reactions and to protect restaurant owners from liability.

“This means a restaurant would probably need to spend less than three minutes per item sourcing their label to abide by this law,” Joshi says. 

Joshi says that restaurant owners should know what ingredients they are using and make them publicly known.

The ordinance is on the agenda for a vote later this month. It would affect restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

If the law is passed, restaurant owners would have until Oct. 1 to identify the allergens and then until Feb. 1, 2019 to change their menus.