Yesterday the FDA released a preliminary draft of the restaurant menu labeling rules that will go into effect on March 23, 2011. A section of the health care legislation passed in March mandates that restaurants clearly display calorie information on menus, including sit down and drive through menus.
The new rules will apply to many different types of eateries. The general rule is that any restaurant with twenty or more locations is required to label products with calorie information. The rule also includes vending machines.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) co-authored the legislation upon which the draft guidelines are based back in 2003.
"This is a great step forward towards ensuring that Americans will be able to make more informed choices about the food they are eating, which will help to combat obesity, cut health care costs, and improve and enhance our lives. The FDA's efforts in making this a reality are admirable, as is the cooperation and participation of the restaurant industry as we move forward," said DeLauro in a press release from her office. "With childhood obesity rates tripling over the last 30 years, this legislation is absolutely imperative to the health of our nation."

Well – except that the research to back up the childhood obesity claims is, well shall we say – inconclusive.

"The issuance of today's guidance regarding menu labeling is an important step in efforts to empower consumers by giving them the information necessary to make sound decisions about their health," said Harkin in a statement.
Well – except that the research to back up the claim that people alter their habits after reading such labeling (if they, in fact, read them at all) is, shall we say – inconclusive.
We shall see. Stay tuned for the open public comment period.
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.
