In an effort to help the estimated 4 million Californians who suffer food allergies state legislators are considering Senate Bill 68 that would require restaurants to identify allergens on their menu.

Introduced by Senator Caroline Menjivar, the measure would require restaurants to notify customers when the menu item contains any of the nine federally-defined major allergens.

Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.

Restaurants could place labels directly on printed menus, use digital menus with labels, or provide a separate allergen information menu.

Food trucks and carts are exempt.

Federal law already requires packaged food to include labels for the nine allergens, which are responsible for 90% of food reactions, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The California Restaurant Association opposes the measure.

In an early letter sent jointly with the Food Allergy Research and Education Group, or FARE, the restaurant industry group said menu labeling would create a false sense of security for customers with allergies without changing how restaurants actually operate.

Matthew Sutton, a senior vice president with the Restaurant Association testified during a recent hearing that training rather than labeling would be more effective.

"One of the issues is frequent ingredient swaps caused by a restaurant's supply chain changes," Sutton said.

FARE, which is the largest nonprofit allergy research and advocacy organization in the US, recently withdrew its opposition, citing changes to the bill that give restaurants more flexibility to notify customers of allergens "Labeling of restaurant food remains a critical gap for consumer safety," said Dr. Travis Miller, an allergist and chair of the Advocacy Council of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, which supports the measure.

Roughly one in three people with food allergies report having reactions in restaurants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While fatalities are rare, they can happen quickly.

For CalMatters, I'm Kristen Hwang.