FRLA Statement on FDA’s Menu-Labeling Mandate Delay

Elizabeth Ray
FRLA Communications Director
850.224.2250 x255
ERay@FRLA.org

(Tallahassee, FL) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pushed the effective date for the federal menu-labeling regulation for chain restaurants and similar foodservice establishments to December 1, 2016. The FDA had originally set December 1, 2015, as the compliance date but said today that it is extending the compliance date in response to requests and in order to further clarify the rule’s requirements. Today, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) released the following statement in response to the FDA’s determination.

“We applaud today’s decision by the Food and Drug Administration to require a nationwide, uniform menu-labeling standard for chain restaurants. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, along with the National Restaurant Association, have long supported this universal approach, rather than inconsistent state-by-state guidelines which place undue burdens and restrictions on our restaurateurs. We look forward to our continued work with the FDA and the NRA in identifying best practices within many national establishments currently incorporating menu-labeling,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, October 6-8, 2015 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.