Attention Dieters: FDA Ruling Will Require Calorie Counts at Restaurants

Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows one of the hardest parts is counting calories while eating out. While crowdsourced fitness apps like MyFitnessPal can help with approximate counts, the fact that a Chipotle burrito tops the scale at more than 1,000 calories is good information to know.

But, dieters can soon rejoice. It's about to get a lot easier to count calories when you're chowing down on a Big Mac, thanks to a Food and Drug Administration ruling to be released later Tuesday.

According to The Washington Post, most places where Americans eat will now have nutritional information posted for customers, including the calorie counts. The FDA rule says that covered restaurants will "be required to clearly and conspicuously display calorie information for standard items on menus and menu boards, next to the name or price of the item."

Before the ruling, a lot of chain restaurants have used the web to post calorie counts for their food, including fast food giant McDonald's and its full "Nutrition Choices" section of its site. This rule will force Americans to understand better the food choices they make when they eat out at chain and fast food restaurants. 

“Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories away from home and people today expect clear information about the products they consume,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. “Making calorie information available on chain restaurant menus and vending machines is an important step for public health that will help consumers make informed choices for themselves and their families.”

The requirements are a move forward from the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which required nutrition labeling on packaged foods, but did not require it at restaurants and on other ready-to-eat foods available at grocery stores. The agency put together the new rules after consulting with industry groups, medical groups and others.

The FDA considered more than 1,100 comments from stakeholders and consumers in developing these rules. In response to comments, the FDA narrowed the scope of foods covered by the rule to more clearly focus on restaurant-type food, made other adjustments such as ensuring the flexibility for multi-serving dishes like pizza to be labeled by the slice rather than as a whole pie, and provided establishments additional time to comply with the rule.

Eateries will have one year to comply with the new rules. Vending machine operators will have two years to comply. The requirements only apply to restaurants with 20 or more locations, so local and small businesses will not have to comply. Regular menu items will have to have the counts posted, but daily and seasonal specials will be exempted. Mixed alcoholic cocktails will not be part of the requirements, but wine and beer will be.

(Image via SSokolov / Shutterstock.com )