Calorie Disclosure Rule Finally Takes Effect

08-May-2018 - USA

A law requiring chain restaurants with 20 or more stores to post calorie counts finally takes effect on Monday after years of delays.

The law, introduced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or FDA, is part of the Affordable Care Act 2010. It requires restaurants, grocers, pizza delivery companies and convenience stores to display calorie information on their menus and menu boards.

While the rule had an original compliance date of 2015, the FDA delayed its implementation three times to give the food industry time to understand and comply with the rules.

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FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a blog post last week that information about healthy food gives people the chance to make better choices about their diets.

Noting that Americans drink or eat about one-third of their daily calories outside the home, Gottlieb said that the disclosure of basic information about calories on chain restaurant menus can make "a big difference" in America's obesity rates.

"Starting next Monday, consumers will be able to walk into any large chain restaurant and other chain establishments in the country and know, at a glance, how many calories are in the foods a restaurant offers. Surveys show consumers overwhelmingly want this information. And many use it to improve their diets and health," Gottlieb said in the blog post.

Currently, about 40 percent of all Americans are obese, and obesity increases the chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Obesity is also a big driver of chronic disease.

Gottlieb said that materials used for marketing are not required to have calorie counts on them. For build-your-own foods, like choose-your-topping pizzas, calorie ranges can be used to make the various combinations fit on a standard-size menu board, he added.

Several big restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Starbucks and Panera Bread, have already listed calorie information on their menus and menu boards. (dpa)

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