In April 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its latest iteration
of a “final rule” on menu calorie labeling for restaurants and other “establishments
selling away-from-home foods.”
1
Among other regulations, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would
delay implementation for a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requiring chain
restaurants, pizza parlors, and movie theaters to print calorie counts on their menus.
These establishments will now have until May 2017 before they will be required to
post this information. This is only the latest in a series of extensions over the
last 6 years, all delaying compliance with this part of the 2010 law. Spokespersons
for the restaurant industry continue to protest what they argue are onerous expenses
and have welcomed these delays, whereas many public health experts have criticized
the slow-moving pace of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in addressing the obesity
epidemic.
US Food and Drug Administration. A labeling guide for restaurants and retail establishments selling away-from-home foods—part II (Menu Labeling Requirements in Accordance with 21 CFR 101.11): Guidance for Industry. Released April 2016. www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/UCM461963.pdf. Accessed May 26, 2016
2
Health Policy Brief. The FDA’s menu-labeling rule. Health Affairs. http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=140. Published June 25, 2015. Updated July 13, 2015. Accessed August 26, 2016.
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References
US Food and Drug Administration. A labeling guide for restaurants and retail establishments selling away-from-home foods—part II (Menu Labeling Requirements in Accordance with 21 CFR 101.11): Guidance for Industry. Released April 2016. www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/UCM461963.pdf. Accessed May 26, 2016
Health Policy Brief. The FDA’s menu-labeling rule. Health Affairs. http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=140. Published June 25, 2015. Updated July 13, 2015. Accessed August 26, 2016.
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Published online: October 03, 2016
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© 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
