The FDA has failed to make changes that would make menu-labeling compliance more realistic for convenience stores.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its final guidance and determined a final compliance date for the previously announced menu-labeling regulations.
According to a report from NACS, May 2017, 17 months after the initial compliance date, has been chosen as the final compliance date for the regulations from the FDA. NACS counsel, after reviewing the final document, has determined that the new compliance date is virtually the only change that was made to the document, which was issued in November 2014.
NACS has stated that the lack of changes to the document is a disservice to the convenience store industry, as the regulations are geared toward chain restaurants, making it difficult for c-stores to provide calorie information to customers in a way that is productive and helpful.
Many c-stores are struggling to comply with the current menu-labeling laws. Convenience chains were expecting the FDA to make changes to the legislation in order to allow for easier compliance, and the lack of changes to the document leaves the industry in a fix. NACS reported that, now, the only way to change the current regulations is through congressional action.
NACS reported that the Common Sense Menu Disclosure Act recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives, and this legislation, in conjunction with companion legislation in the Senate, would make it more realistic for convenience stores to comply with the menu-labeling law.