The Food and Drug Administration will aim to begin enforcement around May 7, 2018, of the long-delayed requirement that chain restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores put calorie counts on their menus, according to an agreement reached in federal court. The target date is in line with a statement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb a month ago that the agency will be providing guidance to retailers so they will be ready to comply in May 2018.
Menu labeling was part of the 2010 healthcare law. The FDA issued rules in 2014 and 2015 that said labeling would take effect in late 2016. That was delayed to 2017, and the Trump administration subsequently announced a one-year delay, to May 2018. Consumer groups sued in federal court in June in hopes of forcing the FDA to implement the law.
“Responsible companies have already invested in compliance,” said Sally Greenberg of the National Consumers League. “As frustrating as this process has been, we’re glad that the end of the long campaign for menu labeling is now in sight.” Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said a large part of the American diet is eaten outside the home. “Having access to calorie information at chain restaurants is important for consumers who want to maintain a healthy weight and reduce their risk of diet-related disease,” said Wootan.