Important news for restaurant and food service franchise systems:  Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its much anticipated food labeling rule requiring that calorie information be listed on menus in "chain" restaurants and food establishments.   The new rule applies to any chain and franchised food business which meets the following criteria:

  1. It is part of a system with 20 or more locations;
  2. All of the restaurants or food establishments in the chain do business under the same name; and
  3. All of the restaurants in the chain offer for sale substantially the same restaurant-type food menu items.

The new rule implements the nutrition labeling provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act) and, according to the summary portion of the rule, is intended to make "nutrition information available to consumers in a direct and accessible manner to enable consumers to make informed and healthful dietary choices."

Any covered establishment meeting the criteria has until December 1, 2015 to comply with the new rule.

The FDA also released today its final vending machine rule which requires operators who own or operate 20 or more vending machines to disclose calorie information for food sold from vending machines, subject to certain exemptions.

Check back here in December for a more detailed analysis of these new rules and what compliance will mean for franchised restaurants and retail food outlets.

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