Food & Agriculture

Public Interest Advocates Ask Congress to Oppose Efforts to Sabotage Menu Labeling Law

CFA and its allies call on Congress to use common sense and reject proposals to weaken or delay implementation of the national menu labeling law, now scheduled to go into effect May 5, 2017, over seven years after the law’s passage. Opponents of menu labeling have sought to use appropriations riders to further delay and water down the law. These provisions would operate to deny Americans the information they need to make informed dietary choices, and thus further fuel the obesity epidemic. The groups also urge Congressional leaders to oppose the so-called Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act. That bill would allow arbitrary serving size definitions to erect computational hurdles for consumers seeking to compare calories. It would exempt many fast-food restaurants from providing calorie information on in-store menus, and it would hamper enforcement of menu labeling by eliminating recordkeeping requirements and private citizens’ ability to take action on noncompliance.