WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new draft of the menu-labeling regulations that are scheduled to take effect on chain restaurants starting Dec. 1, 2016, according to a Restaurant Business report.
The rules provide answers to some of what restaurant operators have cited as the more vexing questions about compliance with the labeling mandate, an industry-supported component of the Affordable Care Act. For instance, some chains have expressed confusion about how to label the calorie contents of platter-style catering orders, where consumers can choose from a variety of sandwiches and sides.
The new proposed rules specify that the calorie counts for each selection would have to be provided. If there are four types of sandwiches offered, calorie counts need to be disclosed for each.
Among the other puzzlers for restaurants has been the question of how to handle customization of an order. How would they be expected to meet the labeling mandate if patrons could choose from a variety of, say, pizza toppings, on various sized pies?
The drafted rules indicate that the operator would be required to provide the calorie content of each base item—each size of pie, in this instance—and how much each topping would add--“Pepperoni: Add 50 calories,” etc.
The FDA noted that operators could use a grid-like chart on the menu so that customers could cross-reference the size of a serving against the number of calories various toppings would add.
Click here to see the new 53-page guideline to the regulations in its entirety.
Because of uncertainties about the requirements and confusion on the part of operators about how to comply, the FDA announced in July that it was delaying enactment for a year, to December 2016.
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