Earlier this month, FDA announced a one-year extension of the Menu Labeling Final Rule, titled "Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu Items in Restaurants and Similar Retail Food Establishments," originally effective on December 1, 2015. Restaurants and other food retailers that are part of a chain of 20 or more locations (including retailers such as movie theaters and amusement parks) will have to conspicuously display calorie information on their menus and menu boards by December 1, 2016. The final rule, published on December 1, 2014, has been extended several times due to the complexity of its implementation. A group of senators sent a letter in May 2015 to FDA requesting a one-year enforcement delay for lack of clarity and consistency of the current guidance. Subsequently, FDA announced it will issue a draft guidance in August 2015 to provide " answers to some of the more frequently asked and crosscutting questions that the agency has received." FDA will also increase its support of businesses and state, local, and tribal regulatory partners through educational and technical assistance. FDA encourages companies to comment on the guidance and to consider it for compliance with the final rule.
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