Key lawmakers working on menu labeling bills have reached agreement on nationwide menu labeling standards.  Provisions described as a compromise, between Sen. Tom Harkin’s (D-Iowa) Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act and the Labeling Education and Nutrition (LEAN) Act, sponsored by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), are included in Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) health care reform legislation now being considered in the Senate.

Section 325 of the bill (The Affordable Healthy Choices Act) would:

• Apply to restaurants with 20 or more locations operating under the same name.
   
• Require posting on the menu or menu board of calorie content for standard items and how it compares to daily calorie requirements.
   
• Require menus and menu boards provide notice that the following information is available upon request:
  • total calories and calories from fat
  • fat
  • saturated fat
  • cholesterol
  • sodium
  • total carbohydrates
  • complex carbohydrates
  • sugars
  • dietary fiber
  • protein

   

• Exempt from the calorie/nutrient content requirements foods that are not on the menu or menu boards, such as condiments, custom orders, daily specials, temporary menu items appearing on the menu for less than 60 days, or foods that are part of a market test for less than 90 days.
   
•  Preempt state and local menu labeling requirements for restaurants with 20 or more locations.
   
• Allow restaurants with fewer than 20 locations to opt in to the national standards.
   
• Incorporate existing FDA standards for determining nutrition information and analysis. 

A number of states and localities already have passed menu labeling requirements, while many others are considering establishing policies.  A strong national standard would provide consumers across the country access to consistent nutrition information to better inform their choices.