The Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance last week on its menu labeling final rule, which requires restaurants and similar retail food establishments to display calorie content and nutrition information on menu items.

IDFA members may be asked by foodservice customers to provide information to help calculate the calorie content for menu items and other nutrition information that may be required.

The draft guidance addresses topics such as differentiation between marketing materials and menus, methods for providing calorie information, determining nutrient content and clarifying which establishments are covered by the regulation. It is designed to help companies that will be required to declare calorie counts on restaurant foods as early as May 7, 2018.

View the draft guidance, Menu Labeling: Supplemental Guidance for Industry, as well as and other information about restaurant menu labeling, on FDA’s website.

Members with questions may contact Michelle Matto, IDFA's nutrition and labeling consultant, at amfoodnutrition@gmail.com.