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Menus must show calorie counts, FDA rules

The calorie count in the food you eat at restaurants will have to be disclosed now, after new rules from the FDA.
The calorie count in the food you eat at restaurants will have to be disclosed now, after new rules from the FDA.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FDA is publishing final rules that require calorie information to be listed on menus and menu boards, and near self-serve foods and foods on display in certain chain restaurants, food stores, entertainment venues, and vending machines, the agency said Tuesday.

The goal of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to help consumers make more informed choices about what they eat away from home.

“Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home,” says FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “These final rules will give consumers more information when they are dining out and help them lead healthier lives.”

The menu labeling rules take effect in one year for restaurants, and apply to restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations and that are doing business under the same name; offer basically the same menu items; and sell “restaurant-type” food. More specifically, the menu labeling rules cover:

  • Sit-down and fast-food restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and restaurant-type foods in certain grocery and convenience stores.
  • Take-out and delivery foods, such as pizza.
  • Foods purchased at drive-through windows.
  • Foods that you serve yourself from a salad or hot-food bar.
  • Alcoholic drinks such as cocktails when they appear on menus.
  • Foods at places of entertainment, such as movie theaters.

The vending machine rules, which take effect in two years, cover vending machines if their operator owns or operates 20 or more of them. Currently, calorie information is not always visible before items are purchased and removed from vending machines. Under the new rule, the calories will be listed on the front of the package or on a sign or sticker near the food or selection button.

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