What the FDA menu-labeling regulations really mean

So you don’t quite feel up to struggling through all 183 pages of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed menu-labeling regulation?

Don’t worry. The editors of Nation’s Restaurant News have read through the epic document and attempted to address many of the key questions foodservice operators might have about the proposed rules.

The FDA issued the much-anticipated regulations April 1 after missing an initial deadline of March 23 — one year after President Obama signed the provision into law as part of the federal health care reform, or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Some of the questions answered:

• Who must follow the rules?
• Who does this generally include?
• Who is generally not included?
• What’s in a name?
• What’s in a recipe?
• What’s exempt from standards menu labeling?
• What’s a custom order?
• What is a daily special?
• What constitutes a market test?
• What is a temporary menu item?
• What about self service or food on display?
• How to present calories on menus
• Do your ads have to be labeled?
• What about the internet?When does this take effect?How many restaurants will be affected?
• How much will it cost?