FDA rolls out calorie-count rules for menus, vending machines

The FDA unveiled new Obamacare regulations Tuesday that require chain restaurants and some vending machine operators to post calorie counts for the foods they sell.

Designed to inform Americans about what they’re putting into their bodies, the rule will take effect in one year for restaurants that operate 20 or more locations and offer food for eating on the premises or take-out. Vending machines operators with 20 or more machines have two years to comply.

“Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home,” FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said. “These final rules will give consumers more information when they are dining out and help them lead healthier lives.”

Everything from sit-down restaurants to bakeries to pizza joints are covered by the new rule, as are alcoholic cocktails when they appear on menus. Food served at entertainment centers, such as movie theaters, also are covered.

The calorie count cannot by smaller in type than the name or price of the item, whichever is smaller. In salad bar or buffet situations, the information must be displayed near the foods.

Combination meals that are popular at fast-food restaurants must be displayed as a range, for example 450-700 calories, to give consumers a sense of how the components add up to a total calorie count.

Some stakeholders welcomed the news.

“We believe that the Food and Drug Administration has positively addressed the areas of greatest concern with the proposed regulations and is providing the industry with the ability to implement the law in a way that will most benefit consumers,” National Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney said.

Others, such as Domino’s Pizza, had begun to post calorie counts online but say more flexibility is needed in the menu rules because there are so many permutations of toppings that go on the pies.