New FDA Rules For Restaurants, It's About Time

The FDA announced new rules that require chain restaurants and vending machine operators to post calories for food and drinks on their menus.

The rules, which have been in the works since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, apply to restaurants that have more than 20 locations nationwide.

Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home, and people today expect clear information about the products they consume. Making calorie information available on chain restaurant menus and vending machines is an important step for public health that will help consumers make informed choices for themselves and their families.

The rules will also include labeling requirements for restaurant-style food in grocery stores, big-box stores, coffee shops, ice cream stores, movie theaters, and amusement parks.

Restaurant-style foods include foods generally eaten on the premises, or while walking away, or soon after arriving at another location. That means foods intended to be eaten quickly for a meal, instead of those taken home to be eaten over time, like a loaf of bread or a pound of deli meat.

Restaurant chains won't be required to provide calorie counts for custom orders, daily specials, and seasonal items.

Many large chain restaurants, including Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Panera Bread, and McDonald's, have already started posting calorie counts in anticipation of these rules. New York City passed a law requiring calories on menus in 2009.

Consumer advocacy groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest are applauding the regulations, but saying they are long overdue. I have to agree, there's too much misinformation out there and I think people want to know more about what their eating. I think we will make better decisions if it's easy to get the information. I think everyone know by now that too many calories will just add more fat to your body.

Menu labeling is the biggest advance in providing nutrition information to consumers since the law that required Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods was implemented 20 years ago.  We hope that small chains and independent restaurants provide the same information voluntarily.

The FDA did a terrific job in ensuring that a wide range of food-service establishments will provide calorie information to help their customers make informed choices. It doesn’t matter to people’s health if they get that muffin at a grocery store, convenience store, a restaurant – it’s going to have the same impact on their waistline.

The American Heart Association was among the health groups applauding the change. Calorie control is key to reversing the nation’s obesity epidemic. Thanks to these new FDA labeling rules, Americans will now have easier access to calorie counts for foods and drinks before they place an order or push the buttons on a vending machine.

Generally, the research shows the impact of labeling on consumer behavior may not be that strong. Only about 30% of consumers notice them.

But because the new rules are further-reaching than expected -- applying to things like popcorn at the movies and some alcoholic drinks -- the impact may be greater.

Right now, the public has no idea how many calories are in food, and if you had people guess, most people will vastly underestimate the number.

For the rules to make a difference, consumers who actually see the calorie numbers will need to learn what they mean in the context of their daily diet.

To know what the calories mean, you have to know how many calories you need on a given day, and most people don’t know that. You have to put those numbers in the context of roughly a 2,000-calorie day.

Examples might be more helpful to people than just raw numbers. For instance, a 250-calorie cheeseburger may take 50 minutes of running to burn off, she says.

Restaurant operators will be required to include this statement on menus: 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary.

Under the new rules, alcoholic drinks on menus will also have calories listed. That’s important, because alcoholic drinks are the fifth-biggest source of calories in an American adult’s diet. A lot of times, people don’t think about the calories in what they drink as they do in what they eat, but calories matter whether you eat or drink them.

Restaurant operators and grocers with restaurant-style food offerings will have 1 year to comply with the new policy, and vending machine operators will have 2 years.

The National Restaurant Association, a trade organization representing the companies affected by the rules, welcomed the new regulations.

I'm glad to see the new rules and I think over time even if we're doing this for the next generation, it's something that needs to be done.  I think lacks regulations that govern the food we eat is the major cause for the population being overweight. I'm not for government telling what to eat, but I am for disclosure. The public should know what their eating, what's in the food and how many calories you'll be eating. After all you're paying for the food, it's not like it's free.

In a statement released Tuesday, CEO Dawn Sweeney said:

“Under the federal menu labeling regulations, which the Association sought and supported, nutrition information will soon be available in more than 200,000 restaurant locations nationwide.

"We believe that the Food and Drug Administration has positively addressed the areas of greatest concern with the proposed regulations and is providing the industry with the ability to implement the law in a way that will most benefit consumers.

"We look forward to working with the agency as the implementation period begins and toward helping the industry adjust to the new rules. We appreciate the diligence the FDA took in understanding the complexities of how this regulation will impact the restaurant industry and the patrons of restaurants all across the country.”