Under the proposed FDA regulations, all prepared items in grocery stores would need calorie information.

FDA, supermarkets butt heads over menu labeling laws

March 14, 2013 12:00 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The debate over which nutritional information restaurants, supermarkets and – potentially – vending machines should be required to post appears to be heading to a boiling point as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) works to pass a new labeling law.

Under new nutrition laws that came as part of national healthcare reform in 2010, the FDA is under orders from the federal government to push for chain restaurants, supermarkets and widely distributed vending machines to publish nutritional information for their customers. Supermarkets are in vehement opposition to the law, stating that the necessary changes would cost them millions of dollars – expenses that would then be passed down to the customer.

While displaying nutritional information on products sold on stores shelves is nothing new, the FDA is moving to force grocers to display calorie information for any food made on site, including deli products, sushi, salad bars and other prepared foods. Any market chain, convenience store, coffee shop, bakery or other establishment that provides food as its primary service would fall under the proposed law, requiring them to display calorie information for all food served, as well as having additional information upon request.

Meanwhile, bowling alleys, movie theaters and other outlets where food service is not the main business avenue would be exempt. Department stores that commit less than half of their floor space to food products would also avoid regulation.

"There are very, very strong opinions and powerful voices both on the consumer and public health side and on the industry side, and we have worked very hard to sort of figure out what really makes sense and also what is implementable," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told the Associated Press.

Supermarkets and other companies that sell food in Arizona would be well-advised to seek out small business legal advice in order to ensure that they comply with all FDA regulations.

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