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California Sets Guidelines for Diners to Bring Their Own Containers to Restaurants

July 19, 2019 - from Food & Wine :

"In the food world, the desire to be environmentally-friendly is often complicated by the need for safety. For instance, with food waste, leftover items often get tossed because of the risk of contamination. No one likes trashing food, but it’s better than ending up in the hospital. However, people can be overcautious, too — which is part of the reason we’ve seen a push to clarify “Best If Used By” dates on packaged food. It’s a small, common-sense change with environmental benefits. And yet, even the FDA recently admitted that all of this 'is not an exact science.'"

"These lessons are reflected in a new law out of California: On July 12, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill making it easier for diners to bring their own reusable cups and containers to restaurants to help avoid single-use packaging.

"The state now allows restaurants to fill customer containers as long as they are either isolated from the serving surface or the surface is sanitized after each fill. Furthermore, new, more environmentally-friendly rules have also been put in place for 'temporary food facilities' found at places like markets or festivals. Previously, they were required to offer single-use items like disposable utensils. Now, local enforcement agencies can let these food facilities clean and sanitize multiuse options if they see fit."