FDA rolls out new menu rules for food chains to curb obesity

In a bid to curb obesity in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will announce that it is making final two rules that require calorie information be listed.

The calories per food item is required on menus and menu boards at chain restaurants, grocery store take-out counters, convenience stores, theaters, amusement parks and vending machines with 20 or more locations.

Companies will have until November 2015 to comply. Independent restaurants are not required to follow this new law.

The idea of menu labeling is to make sure that customers process the calorie information as they are figuring out what to eat. Many restaurants currently post nutritional information in a hallway, on wrappers or on their website.

The changes, part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, will bring the type of calorie tallies on public view across New York City and Seattle to chain restaurants nationwide.

Panera Bread Co in 2010 became the first company to voluntarily display calorie information at all its cafes nationwide. Some restaurant chains, including Subway and McDonald's, have supplied the calorie information for some time, but the new rules formalize the labeling for the entire industry. They will not apply to seasonal items carried for less than 60 days.

"Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home, and people today expect clear information about products they consume," said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in a conference call with reporters.

The restaurant industry voiced their support and welcomed the changes.

"We believe that the Food and Drug Administration has positively addressed the areas of greatest concern," said Dawn Sweeney, chief executive of the National Restaurant Association, which represents 990,000 restaurant and food-service outlets.