Menu Labeling

Susan Mayne, Ph.D.

Director
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
National Press Foundation
May 10, 2019
 Nutrition Innovation Strategy
Initiatives

Update Modernizing
“Healthy” Modernize
“Healthy” Standards of
Claims
Icon Identity
Claim

Implement
Modernize
NFL & Reduce
Ingredient
Information Menu Sodium
Labeling

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 FDA Nutrition Innovation Strategy
Goals:
(1) Empower consumers with information to
help them make more informed dietary
choices; and
(2) Foster and support innovation already
underway in the food industry that will allow
industry to compete on the basis of healthful
attributes.

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 FDA Food Responsibilities
• 20¢ of every consumer dollar in
the US spent on FDA-regulated
products

• FDA regulates safety & labeling of

80% of all food consumed in the
United States
– Ensure that consumers are
80%
provided with accurate and useful
information in food labeling
– Encourage food product of food supply
reformulation to create healthier
products regulated by FDA
• Close collaboration with CDC,
NIH, USDA and other federal
partners
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 1 in 3 U.S. adults have high
blood pressure

Almost 40% of U.S. adults are obese

Almost 1 in 5 of U.S.
children and adolescents
are obese
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Menu Labeling
 Who is covered?
• Applies to restaurants and similar retail food
establishments
– That are part of a chain with 20 or more
locations
– Doing business under the same name and
– Offering for sale substantially the same menu
items
– Offering for sale “restaurant type foods”
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 Examples of Covered Establishments
• Chain Restaurants, quick service and sit-down
• Grocery and convenience stores that serve
restaurant-type food
• Food take-out establishments and pizza delivery
chains
• Entertainment venues that are part of a chain
(e.g. movie theaters, amusement parks)
• Chain cafeterias
• Chain coffee shops and bakeries
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 What Does the Law Require?
• Disclose calorie information on menus and
menu boards (“reasonable basis” for nutrient
declarations)
• Disclose calorie information on signs adjacent to
foods on display and self-service foods
• Post a succinct statement about suggested daily
caloric intake: “2000 calories a day is used for
general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary”
• Post statement that written nutrition
information is available upon request
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 Implementing Menu Labeling
• May 7, 2018: Menu labeling compliance date
• FDA website provides resources and educational tools for
industry
– Guidance documents
– Industry education modules
– Fact sheets
• During the first year of implementation, FDA worked
cooperatively with establishments through education and
outreach to encourage compliance. During year two, this
approach will continue and FDA will explore partnering
with state and local agencies to ensure compliance.

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Declaring calories for multiple items on a self-service salad bar or
a single sign attached to the sneeze guard 11
Declaring calories for self-service foods on individual signs
using gel clings on the sneeze guard 12
Declaring calories for multiple self-service items on a single sign
In-store tablet where a customer can place an order and calories
are declared before purchase 14
Resources for Consumers
Calories on the Menu

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 Calories on the Menu

1. Find out your calorie needs

2. Look for calorie and
nutrition information
3. Make the best choice for you
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 Coming Soon!
Social Media Toolkit for
Consumer Outreach
• For organizations and anyone interested in
encouraging consumers to use this
information
• Components
-- Web badges that can be embedded in an
organization’s website
-- Sample newsletter/blog that can be adapted
and posted
-- Social media messages for sharing on Facebook
and Twitter
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Nutrition Facts Label
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 Implementing Nutrition Facts Label
• Compliance date
– Jan 1, 2020 for manufacturers with annual food
sales at or above $10 million.
– Jan 1, 2021 for all others
• Many manufacturers have already started using
the new labels
• Major educational campaign planned
surrounding the new nutrition information in
the marketplace
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