Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Government
June 04, 2015 01:00 AM

FDA calorie-count menu rule meets opposition in hearing

Steven Ross Johnson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Proponents and critics of a new federal regulation that will require menus to list calorie counts are calling for a one-year delay to the rule's Dec. 1 implementation date. That's about all they could agree on Thursday during a congressional hearing.

    Supporters and opponents alike feel the industry needs more time to adopt the new labeling requirements. Some hope a delay will allow lawmakers to make changes that could effectively exempt some food-related businesses.

    In its final rule issued last November, the Food and Drug Administration requires that, beginning Dec. 1, restaurants that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations post calorie counts for the items they serve on their menus and menu boards. The regulation would affect movie theaters, amusement parks, stadiums and grocery and convenience stores that offer ready-to-eat items.

    But proposed legislation introduced in April would effectively exempt non-restaurant businesses that sell prepared food from having to provide calorie counts on those items. Under the proposed Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, (H.R. 2017) businesses whose revenue from prepared-food sales makes up less than half of their overall revenue would not have to comply with the regulation.

    The bill has pitted convenience stores, pizzerias and supermarkets against public-health advocates and restaurants who argue that making such exceptions would only serve to undermine the rule's goal of helping consumers make more informed nutritional choices.

    “The new labeling regulation is intended to benefit both businesses and consumers by focusing on all establishments that serve restaurant-type food, not just a select few,” said Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer for Dunkin' Brands Group, the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts. She spoke on behalf of the National Restaurant Association at a hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health. “The benefits of nutrition labeling are important, no matter the size of the menu or the percentage of sales from food.”

    Representatives from the convenience store, pizzeria and supermarket industries counter that the FDA rule as currently written would be too difficult and expensive to implement. They say independent store owners would be hardest hit.

    “The food operations of convenience stores are very different from that of restaurants, yet the FDA's final ruling was geared toward the chain-restaurant model,” according to Sonya Yates Hubbard, CEO of E-Z Mart Stores, who spoke before the committee on behalf of the National Association of Convenience Stores. “We want to provide our customers with useful information and H.R. 2017 does not roll back the regulations but instead gives us the flexibility we need in order to do this.”

    Bill supporters insist they are in favor of providing nutritional information, but want to do so in a way that is more conducive to their business model.

    “We are not seeking an exemption,” said Lynn Liddle, and executive vice president with the Domino's pizza chain, and chair of the American Pizza Community coalition. She added that her group wants to provide information to its customers in a way that does not make small business pay for materials customers won't see or use.

    Lawmakers stayed true to party lines when sharing their views of the Common Sense Nutrition Act, despite declarations that the regulation was a bipartisan effort. Republicans spoke out in favor of the H.R. 2017, saying the FDA rule would harm small businesses, while Democrats raised concerns over the public health implications that might evolve if exemptions were given.

    The FDA estimates that as much as one-third of Americans' total caloric intake comes from eating outside of the home. Some believe that habit is encouraged by the convenience of prepared foods.

    Nutrition advocates have argued that displaying the number of calories beside a food item on a menu would give consumers the opportunity to make healthier choices. But the body of evidence in support of that notion has been mixed, with studies that find increased consumer awareness about calorie counts have only led to a minimal changes in eating behavior.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    abortion-pill-misoprostol-legal
    Abortion pill case advances to appeals court, on course to Supreme Court
    young doctor medical resident
    Federal physician recruitment program at risk
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare Alert: Sign up for this breaking news email to be kept in the loop as urgent healthcare business news unfolds.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing