News

Second national menu labeling bill introduced

May 14, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have again introduced the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act, legislation that would require nutritional information to be displayed on chain restaurant menus and vending machines.

The Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act would close a loophole in the Nutrition Labeling Education Act (NLEA) passed in 1990, which required most retail food packages to provide nutrition information, but exempted restaurant food from these requirements. The MEAL Act requires chain restaurants with 20 or more business locations to provide consumers with information on calories, sodium, saturated and trans fat, and carbohydrates. The lawmakers have introduced similar legislation in the past three Congresses.

Studies show the total number of calories that individuals derive from food outside the home has increased steadily over time, but also indicate that very little nutrition information is provided in restaurants to consumers.

The legislation follows the successful implementation of menu labeling in New York City, an initiative that requires calorie information to be posted on menus and menu boards. Other cities around the country are rapidly following suit, including Seattle, Portland, Ore.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Philadelphia. Last fall California became the first state in the country to enact a menu labeling bill for chain restaurants, and the Massachusetts Public Health Council recently passed itsown version for chain restaurantsin that state.

Sen. Harkin said that the bill is directed at improving public health and lowering health care costs. "It is time to take preventive action and give consumers the tools that they need to take better control of their diet and health."

"Providing consumers with immediate access to nutrition information in restaurants has become more important than ever, especially given the numerous studies that link eating outside the home with obesity and increased caloric intake. This bill would represent an incremental step in combating increasing obesity rates," said Rep. DeLauro.

TheNational Restaurant Associationhas said it does not support the MEAL Act but rather a different version, the Labeling Education and Nutrition (LEAN) Act, a bill introduced earlier this session by Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and in the U.S. House by Reps. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.).

The LEAN Act would require restaurant chains with 20 or more units post calorie information for standard menu items on menu boards or a similar sign next to the menu board or at the point of purchase. Additional information on 11 nutritional items, including sugar and sodium, would be available to consumers upon request. The national standard would replace regulations in any state or municipality.