Do you want to know how many calories you'll be consuming when you indulge in a large popcorn and soda during your next trip to the big screen? Soon you won't have a choice, thanks to federal rules that require movie theaters to disclose the number of calories in concessions food. Naturally, the nation's cinema operators are less than thrilled.
The new law mandates that all chain restaurants with at least 20 U.S. locations must display the calorie counts of their menu items, including concession stands at movie theaters. The final proposed mandates were due last Wednesday, but the FDA missed its deadline.
[image-nocss]"Based on the comments submitted and the work thus far, FDA is acutely aware of the complexity of the new law and that both consumers and the food industry may need additional guidance and time in order to comply with these provisions," the agency said in a statement.
"We expect only a short delay in getting these documents out, and it is a reflection of the complexity of this issue, but most important an indication that the FDA is willing to work with all interested parties to ensure the best policy is presented," the FDA said.
The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) has been among the groups lobbying the FDA and congressional staff members in recent weeks. It wishes to exempt theaters from the nutritional-labeling requirement. Their argument: People visit theaters to consume movies, not food.
Larry Etter, vice president of concessions for Malco Theaters, Memphis, agrees with NATO. "People eat concessions like popcorn because it's part of the movie theater experience... it's what they want," he tells Fare Digest. "Consumers know adding extra butter to the snack at the condiment bar means more calories. They don't need to see the exact amount right in front of them."
A 2009 survey based on laboratory tests commissioned by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, D.C., found that a large popcorn serving contained as much as 1,460 calories -- the equivalent of eating nearly three McDonald's Big Macs.
So the question stands: Will the new law sway consumers away from concessions for good? According to a new study from market research company The NPD Group, the answer is no.
The study found that consumers reduced the amount of calories ordered by a negligible amount -- 120 -- and consumers ordered around the same number of items as well.
Etter believes that the real concern isn't a drop in sales, but rather the added costs of complying with the regulations.
"Movies and snacks go hand-in-hand. If anything this will make consumers think twice before adding that extra squirt of butter. But that's as far is it will go," says Etter. "The real concern should lay with the high expense of changing out the old menu boards with the new calorie-included ones. Because at an average fee of $6,000 a board, that is what will impact company costs the most."
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