Draft Menu Labeling Guidance Document Released

  • Draft Menu Labeling Guidance Document Released

    Here are the main points from the 36-page Menu Labeling FDA Guidance:

    Menu Labeling: Supplemental  Guidance for Industry

    New compliance date of May 7, 2018

    Calorie Disclosure Signage for Self-Service Foods, Including Buffet Foods

    You may place the calorie information on a sign adjacent to, and clearly associated
    with, the food for which the calories are provided, or on a sign attached to a sneeze guard (e.g., a
    gel cling or hanging placard attached to the glass), or on a single sign or placard listing the
    calorie declaration for multiple food items along with the names of the food items as long as the
    sign or placard is located where a consumer can view the name, calorie declaration, and serving
    or unit of a particular menu item while the consumer is selecting that item.

    Criteria for Distinguishing Between Menus and Marketing Materials

    Menus require calorie declaration but marketing materials do not.

    Compliance and Enforcement

    FDA plans to continue with education and outreach, especially in the first year, to help covered establishments achieve compliance.

    Determining Nutrient Content for Standard Menu Items

    The calorie and other nutrient declarations could be based on the average values obtained when comparing the nutrient values of the food from different suppliers or from the same supplier when variations are known.

    You may use any one of the following to determine your values:

    • Calculations based on nutrient databases such as the USDA National Nutrient Database
    for Standard Reference (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods), or valid and appropriate trade
    association or industry databases (with or without computer software programs)
    • Laboratory analysis of your menu items

     

     

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