06/14/2026
Minnesota’s meal break rules just got a major upgrade. Here’s the before and after: 📋
BEFORE (pre-2026):
▫️ Only required “sufficient time to eat a meal”
▫️ Applied to 8-hour shifts
▫️ Vague — no minimum break duration specified
AFTER (January 1, 2026):
▫️ Minimum 30-minute meal break required
▫️ Applies to 6+ hour shifts (lower threshold)
▫️ Clear, specific, enforceable
This isn’t a minor tweak — it’s a significant expansion of employee protections in Minnesota.
More employees are now covered. The threshold dropped from 8 hours to 6. And “sufficient time” is now a defined 30 minutes.
If your Minnesota scheduling still follows the old rules, it’s time to update.
adapts to new state requirements automatically. Visit employeemetrics.com