In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has announced long-delayed calorie labelling rules.
The rules require restaurants chain and large vending machine operators to publish calorie count information on menus to enable consumers to be more aware of the risks of obesity posed by fatty and sugary foods.
Establishments that sell prepared foods and have 20 or more locations must post the calorie content of food ‘clearly and conspicuously’ on their menus and have until November 2015 to comply. Coffee shops, convenience stores, bakeries, amusement parks and vending machines must also comply.
Other nutritional information— including calories from sugars, fat, cholesterol and protein – must also be available in writing upon request.
In a conference call, FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, said: “Obesity is a national epidemic that affects millions of Americans. Strikingly, Americans eat and drink about a third of their calories away from home.”
The rules affect the grocery and convenience store industries, which have lobbied hard to be left out since the menu labels became law in 2010 as a part of the health care overhaul. Even before the new rules were announced, some Republicans in Congress had expressed concern that they would be too burdensome for businesses.
The law came together when the restaurant industry agreed to the labelling in an effort to avoid a growing patchwork of city and state rules. But supermarkets, convenience stores and many other retailers that sell prepared food said they wanted no part of it. The restaurant industry pushed to include those outlets, as they have increasingly offered restaurant-like service.
The FDA issued proposed rules in 2011 that included supermarkets and convenience stores but excluded cinemas. The final rules include all of them.
Source: Associated Press/Reuters/FoodBev
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