Food Safety Bill Safe, With Changes
The
Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 made it safely
out of a House committee recently after committee
members agreed to some compromises.
Industry groups indicated they were satisfied that
the House Energy and Commerce Committee had
addressed major beefs with the bill.
Among compromises: Committee members agreed to lower
registration fees to pay for the new programs to
$500, from the previously suggested $1,000, and to
cap fees at $175,000, according to the Grocery
Manufacturers Association.
Meat and poultry processors, meanwhile, were pleased
that changes in the proposal meant their operations,
already under the purview of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, wouldn’t be subject to added
inspections by the Food and Drug Administration
under the compromise. Another plus for food
processors—the revised bill also would give them
flexibility in designing food safety programs.
Restaurants and groups such as the National
Restaurant Association had expressed concern that
they would be forced to follow FDA food-safety
directives aimed primarily at large processors. The
change in the bill would allow both restaurants and
food processors to design food-safety programs that
best fit their operations.
Lawmakers Devise Recipe For LEAN MEAL…
In
another magnanimous display of compromise,
legislators in Washington, D.C., agreed to
combine two nutrition-labeling bills into a
single fat-fighting menu item. Backers of
the Labeling Education and Nutrition Act and
the Menu Education and Labeling Act got
together to mix up a new recipe for giving
chain customers nutrition information that
can help inform their menu choices.
The foodservice industry has supported LEAN,
which would have required chains to post
nutrition information in plain sight but not
put calorie counts on menus and menu boards.
MEAL, on the other hand, would have made
chains post information such as fat and
sodium content in addition to calories.
Under the blended compromise, chains with 20
stores or more nationally will be required
to post calorie counts on menus and menu
boards and make a print version of other
nutritional info such as fat, cholesterol,
carbohydrates and sodium, available upon
request by customers.
In addition to those compromises, MEAL Act
backers agreed to drop language that would
have allowed local jurisdictions to impose
stricter menu labeling rules.
The National Restaurant Association and
several large chains say they support the
proposed legislation.
…Just In Time As
Maine, Others, Whip Up Rules…
Not content to sit still while D.C.
dithers, other localities are still pushing
calorie-counting legislation of their own.
Maine governor John Baldacci signed a bill
there in mid-June requiring chain
restaurants with 20 or more units nationwide
to post calorie counts alongside menu items
starting in February 2011. The law exempts
grocery stores, hotels and movie theaters.
Restaurants don’t have to post counts for
salad bars or specials on the menu for 90
days or less.
Elsewhere, a legislator in Nassau County,
N.Y., has proposed a menu labeling bill
there that would require chains with 15 or
more units to post calorie counts on menus
and menu boards, including drive-throughs.
Suffolk County has a similar proposal on the
books that’s due for a vote in September.
…Making Times Extra
Tough For Maine Smokers
As if
going cold turkey isn’t hard enough, smokers
in Maine now face a double-whammy. The state
just passed an amended Clean Air Act that
bans smoking on outdoor restaurant patios
and dining areas. As the restrictions go
into place, and more smokers try to quit and
face the likelihood of gaining weight when
they do, the new calorie-counting law will
kick in, reminding them of all the things
they shouldn’t eat.
Separately, a smoking ban in Corpus Christi,
Tex., just went into effect prohibiting
smoking in bars, nightclubs, bowling alleys
and pool halls. Violators are subject to
fines up to $2,000, but the city says it
will rely on public complaints more than the
seven inspectors assigned to enforcement to
police the ban.
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