What Do the FDA Menu Labeling Regulations Mean to You?
When it comes to convenience store foodservice menu labeling, industry experts say it boils down to one very simple question: Do you want to lead or follow?
Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules require any chain with 20 or more locations under the same banner — and whose primary business is selling food — to display calorie counts on menus and menu boards for all prepared and packaged food items for sale. The rules apply to locations where 50 percent or more of the floor space is dedicated to selling food.
Meanwhile, proposed legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to clarify the regulation that has grouped retail establishments such as convenience stores in with restaurant establishments. The proposed legislation would change the standard to apply to businesses where 50 percent or more of the revenue (instead of floor space) is derived from food, which could eliminate most c-store operators from compliance.
But several industry foodservice leaders say the regulations and proposed changes to the regulations are not the issue. The crux of the matter is that consumers want and need nutritional information to make more informed purchase decisions, and that's what the industry should provide — law or no law. Menu labeling should be viewed as just another service to customers, according to the experts.
Foodservice 101: The Basics
Foodservice 201: Intermediate Insights
Foodservice 301: Advanced Approaches
| Our How To Crew | ||
| Jack W. Cushman, Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes | Dean Dirks, b2b Solutions | Eric Giandelone, Mintel Foodservice |
| Burke Hodge, The Coffee Consultants | Kane Kulas, CSM Bakery Products | Michael Lawshe, Paragon Solutions |
| Larry Miller, Miller Management & Consulting Services | Maurice Minno, MPM Group | Paul Pierce, 7-Eleven Inc.(formerly) |
| Tim Powell, Technomic | Chad Prast, VPS Convenience Store Group | Bonnie Riggs, The NPD Group |
| Jennifer Vespole, Quick Chek Corp. | Jerry Weiner, Rutter's Farm Stores | |
CSNews’ How To Do World-Class Foodservice report is researched and written by Maureen Azzato, a freelance content developer and editor with more than 20 years of business publishing experience, with a primary focus on foodservice and retailing. Previously she was the founding publisher and editorial director of On-the-Go Foodservice, a publication for cross-channel retail foodservice executives, and publisher and editorial director of Convenience Store News, where she worked for 17 years.