On November 25—after a three year delay—the FDA finalized two rules requiring that calorie information be listed on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants, similar retail food establishments and vending machines with 20 or more locations. Required by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the rules will provide consumers with more nutritional information about the foods they consume outside of the home. While some states and cities have previously created their own labeling requirements for restaurants and other ready-to-eat foods, these new federal rules will standardize the requirements, helping to avoid situations in which a chain restaurant subject to the federal requirements has to meet different requirements in different states.
The rule for restaurants and similar retail food establishments, doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items, are as follows:
- Covered food establishments are required to clearly display calorie information next to the name or price of the item for standard items on menus and menu boards.
- Daily specials and condiments for general use typically available on a counter or table are exempt from the labeling requirements.
- Multi-serving dishes such as pizza will be labeled by the slice rather than as a whole pie
- Alcoholic beverages served in covered food establishments and listed on menus will be subject to the finalized calorie labeling rules (there is some flexibility in how establishments meet this provision).
- Food facilities in entertainment venue chains such as movie theaters and amusement parks are included.
- Menu and menu boards will include the statement: “2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary.”
- Requires covered establishments to provide, upon customer request and as noted on menus and menu boards, written nutrition information about total calories, total fat, calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, and proteins.
- Restaurants and similar retail food establishments will have one year to comply with the menu labeling requirements.
The vending machine final rule applies to operators who own or operate 20 or more vending machines. The rule is as follows:
- Calorie information for food sold from vending machines need to be disclosed. This is subject to certain exceptions.
- Vending machine operators will have two years to comply with the requirements.
SOURCE:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.FDA Finalizes Menu and Vending Machine Calorie Labeling Rules. www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/. FDA, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
