FDA to provide more guidance on menu labeling requirements
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has announced that the agency will be providing additional, practical guidance on the menu labeling requirements by the end of 2017.
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has announced that the agency will be providing additional, practical guidance on the menu labeling requirements by the end of 2017. The compliance date for the new menu labeling rules is May 7, 2018. The rules cover calories and nutrient content for standard menu items at restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain of 20 or more locations, doing business under the same name, offering for sale substantially the same menu items and offering for sale restaurant-type foods.
This additional guidance will address concerns that were raised about challenges establishments faced in understanding how to meet their obligations under the new regulations. The FDA has been working to create a sustainable framework for enabling establishments to effectively meet the new menu labeling provisions. These new policy steps should allow covered establishments to implement the requirements by the compliance date.
“Americans should not have to navigate variable information about the foods they eat when traveling from state to state—or city to city,” said Gottlieb in a statement. “Inconsistent state and local requirements may also drive up the cost of food, and sow confusion, by requiring restaurants and other covered establishments to post different information based on location.”