The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a fact sheet to educate stakeholders on how to comply with menu labeling requirements in order to provide consumers with consistent nutrition information for standard menu items.
“Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home,” the FDA said. “Making calorie information available will help consumers make informed choices for themselves and their families when eating foods away from home.”
The FDA said it is committed to working with establishments and will carry out a number of activities:
- Provide continued support for industry stakeholders
- Engage with state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) regulatory partners to ensure consistent implementation
- Assess implementation progress to inform further education and outreach
The FDA is also planning to assess general industry implementation of the primary components of the menu labeling requirements, including:
- Posting calorie information on menus and menu boards for all standard menu items;
- Disclosing calorie information on signs adjacent to foods on display and self-service foods that are standard menu items;
- Including succinct statements concerning suggested daily caloric intake and statements of availability for written nutrition information on menus and menu boards; and
- Having required written nutrition information available on the premises of the chain restaurant or similar retail food establishment upon request.
The FDA stressed that it is committed to providing consumers with consistent nutrition information for standard menu items and to working flexibly with chain restaurants or similar retail food establishments to help them achieve compliance in a flexible way.
As the agency moves forward in further implementation of menu labeling, it will continue to build on these efforts and our commitment to inform and educate industry and other stakeholders.