Electronic Food Rap Vol. 5 No. 42
Bill Evers, PhD, RD and April Mason, PhD
Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialists
While food labeling has caught on well in the supermarkets, guidelines and regulations regarding descriptors, labels and health claims in restaurants are still being debated. The following looks at some of the questions surrounding this issue.
(Submitted by Mary Cheatham, Extension graduate assistant)
Food Labeling Guide for Restaurants and Other Retail Establishments
A document addressing questions on food labeling regulations for restaurants and other retail establishments is now available. The Food and Drug Administration has prepared this document and made it available through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The order number to request is No. 017-012-00374-5.
FDA has received a number of questions regarding how the 1990 labeling amendments apply to retail food establishments. Answers to the most frequently asked questions are found in this document.
Some sample questions and answers from the document are listed below.
- How does FDA define restaurant? An establishment where food is consumed immediately or upon walking away or one that delivers ready-to-eat food.
- If a restaurant makes a claim for one item, is it required to list the nutrition content of all items? No, only on those foods that have a claim, i.e. low fat brownies.
- Does a restaurant have to use the label that appears on packaged foods (the Nutrition Facts format)? No, an abbreviated format is allowed, such as - low fat, this meal provides less than 10 grams of fat.
- Is a restaurant required to have a food with a claim analyzed by a lab? No, FDA is allowing flexibility, allowing use of a reliable nutrient database for analysis.
Many other questions regarding the application of the labeling laws to retail establishments are included in this document. For more information on this document contact:
Institute of Food Technologists Science Communications
9/19/95 Fax to Food Science Communicators
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