According to The Hill, legislation aiming to loosen regulations requiring restaurants and grocery stores to list the number of calories in each prepared food item they sell cleared a key House panel. The bipartisan Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, introduced by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) in April, was approved by a voice vote in the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, sending the bill to the full committee for further consideration. A companion bill is also being pushed in the Senate by Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Angus King (I-Maine).
The menu labeling requirements have come under fire from industry groups and lawmakers. “This regulation tries a cookie cutter approach, treating grocers, convenience stores, and pizzerias with endless combination possibilities the same way as restaurants with constant, simple menu items,” said Rodgers. “Requiring pizza franchises to post in their store every potential topping combination, more than 34 million possible outcomes, when more than 90% of their orders take place over the phone or the Internet, just doesn’t make sense.”
