FDA makes diners wait until December 2016 for calorie counts on menus

According to reports, the Food and Drug Administration has postponed rules under which chain restaurants need to write calorie counts on menus in order that people can take decision regarding their eating choice considering calorie counts.

According to a statement by Michael Taylor, the FDA's top food-safety official, in which he mentioned one-year delay, “The FDA agrees additional time is necessary for the agency to provide further clarifying guidance. The FDA will work flexibly and collaboratively with individual companies making a good-faith effort to comply with the law”.

As per reports, the rules that have been mandated by the Affordable Care Act need businesses with over 20 locations in order to update menus to have calorie information about everything they serve. It also includes grocery stores that offer prepared foods. The rules have been postponed until December 2016.

In April 2011, the FDA put forward the rules; however, it took many years to work on details. The agency suggested many pizza places to show calorie ranges for a complete pizza. It has been estimated by Domino’s that there are 34 million topping combinations and this makes it difficult to estimate calories per pizza. The food chain is already showing calorie information online.

Many people don’t eat eight pizza slices, so the agency gave permission to pizza joints to show per slice ranges. As per reports, the menus and displays will inform people that a 2,000-calorie diet is used to look at daily nutrition, considering that individual calorie needs could be different.