Please Ask Your U.S. Representative to Co-Sponsor H.R. 1249 to Prevent Expansion of Menu Labeling to Grocery Stores
Ask your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 1249, The Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, to ensure that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not expand “Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu Items at Chain Restaurants” to mainstream grocery stores. FDA’s current proposal would extend restaurant menu labeling regulations to grocery stores even though 95 percent of the foods at a grocery store are already labeled. H.R. 1249 would prevent FDA from expanding menu labeling regulations to grocery store operations, as well as to provide some compliance flexibility in posting of nutritional information for pizza delivery operations. Last year, the same legislation had broad bipartisan support.
A template for a letter is included but your personal emphasis and examples are always more persuasive when writing a Member of Congress. It is also worthwhile to phone your Representative about the issue as well.
FDA’s proposed rule would regulate grocery store chains with 20 or more locations under menu labeling. FMI has been urging FDA to adopt the agency’s “Option 2” to implement the menu labeling law, which would exclude grocery stores unless the majority of their business is derived from restaurant-type foods. To this point, FMI has submitted strong comments and letters to regulatory officials and generated several Congressional report language, letters, and other correspondence to FDA supporting Option 2. H.R. 1249 effectively adopts the “Option 2” alternative into the menu labeling law.
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