FDA Just Told Us Chains Have One Year to Add Calories to Menus, Or Whatever

The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it will be requiring restaurants to release calorie information on their menus, reports NPR. Restaurants are now obligated, within the next year, to calculate and visibly display the caloric information of their menu items for customers to see.

Passed in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act, restaurants with 20 or more locations had to start labeling their food.

When the FDA announced this huge step towards health awareness, it sounded like a major game-changer for the restaurant industry. But now four years since its initial announcement, we wonder the meaning behind the most recent update?

Are they just reminding us they’re still working on it?

Further, restaurants are also required to label all items they produce at retail locations. This includes supermarkets, convenience stores and movie theaters.

Establishments with more complicated menu items, such as pizza chains with a variety of toppings, will be given some leeway. Instead of posting calorie information per pie, they’ll do it by slice.

It’s believed that when people see the number of calories they consume eating out, they’ll be more cautious of what they order.

We reached out to a representative of the FDA to see how such a large endeavor could be monitored and/or enforced. Although, when we asked them what penalties looked like, they had very little to say in that regards:

The rules will not become effective immediately. Restaurants and similar retail food establishments will have one year from the date of publication of the menu labeling final rule to comply with the requirements. Vending machine operators will have two years from the date of publication of the vending machine rule.

The first step for the agency in helping ensure compliance will be to provide guidance and technical support materials to the industry. Before the rules become effective, we intend to issue such materials and further reach out to industry. We also intend to further coordinate with states and local governments.

What this means is that there aren’t any official penalties, right now, for not meeting the rules. Tuesday’s announcement marked the beginning of the yearlong window of grace for restaurants. Though in the meantime, the FDA will be working with the restaurant industry to make the transition smoother.

So even since it’s been passed in 2010, there hasn’t been any strict penalties forcing restaurants to do this. The four-year delay is proof of this. Sure, some chains may have begun labeling as a means to promote healthier menus and raise awareness, but there really doesn’t appear to be anything keeping them accountable.

It looks like we’ll find out in the year to come whether or not something a little more firm will be put in place to keep chains in check. So far, it just sounds like wishful thinking.

Though according to the FDA, we officially have 12 months before calorie charts guilt us out of Double Bacon Cheeseburgers. Like that’ll happen.