In an attempt to make Americans more aware of what they eat outside of their homes, calorie counts will now be required to be listed in many restaurant chains.
New rules announced by the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday will require chain restaurants, vending machines and other sellers of certain restaurant-types of food to visibly show the calorie in their food for consumers to see and understand.
“Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home,” FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said about the new rules. “These final rules will give consumers more information when they are dining out and help them lead healthier lives.”
The rules will affect sit-down and fast food restaurants such as bakeries, coffee shops and pizza parlors. Take-out and delivery restaurants will also be affected.
Pick up food from a drive-through window? Calories will be visibly known. Enjoy a cocktail at a restaurant? Calories will now be listed. Movie theaters will also have to show the calorie count, according to the rules.
The rules are expected to be in place in restaurants in a year. Within two years, calories in vending machine foods will be listed on the front of the package or on a sign or sticker near the food or selection button.
The FDA rule also calls for the reminder “2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary” to be put on all menu boards in an obvious display.
According to the FDA, 64 percent of all Americans are overweight and over 30 percent are obese — and with one third of Americans consuming food outside their home, the new calorie labels may help cut into those percentages.
