U.S. President Barack Obama’s freshly passed healthcare plan doesn’t just include insurance reform — it’s also demanding diners know how many calories are in their bacon double cheeseburger.
The new bill contains a provision that requires restaurant operators with 20 or more stores to list the calories of each item on the menu. Not to be left out, vending machines will also need to meet the new standards.
Once skeptical of the provisions, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) has warmed to the plan. “We have been strong advocates and supporters in trying to ensure this provision became law and are extremely pleased that it was signed into law,” Sue Hensley, a spokeswoman for the NRA is quoted as saying in The New York Times. “The association and the industry were supportive because consumers will see the same types of information in more than 200,000 restaurant locations across the country.”
The Food and Drug Administration will streamline the flow of information by providing a national template for restaurants to follow.
Though the healthcare bill is new, calorie count regulations are not. California and New York have been helping diners watch their waistlines, since 2008, by abiding by the same standard.
