The leaders of FMI and NGA joined members of Congress in a press conference today to support legislation that would make changes to the FDA’s menu labeling requirements for supermarkets.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., recently reintroduced the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act.
In prepared remarks, FMI president and CEO Leslie Sarasin outlined FMI’s priorities for changing the legislation, including giving more time to comply with the regulation; ensuring the rules only apply to standardized items available at 20 or more locations; protecting stores that don’t have menus or menu boards; and allowing retailers to be flexible in how and where they display nutritional information.
“As I prepared this statement in support of the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, I couldn’t help but think that I wouldn’t be asking for help today if all our businesses had to do was put calorie counts on a menu board. Grocery stores are fundamentally not restaurants, and the vast majority of our stores do not have menus or menu boards for most products,” said Sarasin.
Sarasin also noted that grocery stores already provide nutritional information on many items as part of separate regulations.
NGA president and CEO Peter Larkin voiced similar concerns.
“Independent grocers interact with their customers on a daily basis, and are committed to providing the communities they serve with high quality service and food choices. In order to meet the demands of their consumers, supermarket operators will customize product selection and variety to the unique needs of the local community,” said Larkin.
"NGA applauds Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Loretta Sanchez for introducing this commonsense legislation and for seeking to address the confusion and challenges that have resulted from the FDA’s chain restaurant menu labeling rule.”
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