Menu Labeling (Restaurant Nutrition)

++Restaurants will soon be required to post nutrition data on their menu items, and so will vending machines.  Several cities and a few states have already passed menu labeling laws, in hopes that a more informed public will become a healthier (and less obese) public.  The idea behind having the federal government regulate the menu labeling is that the uniformity will make it easier for consumers when comparing different vendors, and more efficient for the vendors to implement.  So, the federal law will preempt local mandates.

This is a result of the national health care act passed in March, 2010.  Proposed guidelines were recently published, and final ones are expected by the end of this year.  Although implementation may be as much as a year away, little is expected to change between now and then.  An outline of the guidelines is below.  You can get more detailed information from The Federal Register, referencing HR 3590, Section 4205.

• The law applies to restaurant/food chains with more than 20 locations and to vending machine companies with more than 20 machines.This does not mean one franchise owner in a chain  having more than 20 stores, but 20 for the whole chain. 
• The menu boards (including any in a drive-through), printed menus, and food tags have to include calorie amounts for any standardized foods, except condiments, that are available for at least 60 days/year. 
• Other information must be available in writing upon request, giving amounts of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, protein, sodium, and fiber. 
• There is a standardized format for presenting this information.
• So far, it is unclear how grouped items will be presented.  For example, many menu boards just say something like "large soda," although different flavors have slightly differing calorie counts. 
• Keep in mind that "standardized" menu items means that if you request a change in preparation, this law will not apply to that modification.

It will be interesting to see how this works when it is implemented, and whether enough people will take advantage of it to made a dent in our "obesity epidemic."   I can easily imagine that people who are eating out for celebratory reasons will not be counting calories.  I hope that people who eat out routinely will take advantage of this information.   Will you?