In This Section:
IAPMO Wants Feedback On Green Codes
Congress Works Menu Labeling Into Healthcare Bills
DHHS Puts New Food-Safety Site On Web
City Takes Calorie Counting Off Table If Healthier Menus Put On
CEC Posts New Lighting Certification Instructions
This issue's Economic Report Sponsor: MUFES 2010
Industry Report Sponsor: Hotelex 2010
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IAPMO Wants Feedback On Green Codes
Don't let your chance to speak your mind get flushed. The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials is inviting your comments on the latest draft of its Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement by Oct. 9.
The Green supplement isn't an addition to the Uniform Plumbing Code or Uniform Mechanical Code. Rather, it's a comprehensive attempt to standardize sustainable plumbing, mechanical and solar-power systems for both commercial and residential buildings. The supplement raises the standards these systems must meet to be considered sustainable as well as establishes safety, health, design, installation, maintenance and reliability standards.
The new codes focus on conserving water and energy resources while making building systems more efficient at an affordable cost. Comments on the new draft are being accepted electronically only. To read the draft or comment on it, e-mail Maria Bazan at maria.bazan@iapmo.org. To find out more about the Green supplement, go to www.iapmo.org/Pages/IAPMO_Green.aspx.
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Congress Works Menu Labeling Into Healthcare Bills
Yes, Uncle Sam—in the form of the U.S. Congress—is counting your calories and wants to make sure you post them on menus and menu boards. But now the idea, in a different form, is spilling into healthcare, too.
Even though a final version of a federal menu-labeling bill hasn't yet passed both the House and Senate, the bipartisan language worked out between supporters of two main proposed bills—going by the acronyms of the LEAN and MEAL Acts—has found its way into versions of the healthcare-reform bills under debate.
A healthcare bill drafted by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee contains provisions for requiring chains to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards. Unlike the compromise menu-labeling language already worked out, however, the healthcare-reform bill gives the head of Health and Human Services leeway to add other nutrients to the list of what chains will have to post. The bill calls for HHS to develop a national-disclosure standard within a year of passage.
Similar language is included in a healthcare bill making its way through the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
DHHS Puts New Food-Safety Site On Web
Health and Human Services head Kathleen Sibelius recently announced the creation of a single federal government Web site devoted to food safety. A joint effort between HHS, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the site brings together relevant food-related information from all federal agencies involved in regulating food safety.
The site, www.foodsafety.gov, is intended to streamline food-safety information for consumers. The site contains the latest on food-contamination and product-recall alerts, tips on safe food handling techniques and more.
Sibelius made the announcement at the Consumer Federation of America's food policy conference in early September. A day earlier, the FDA announced it was imposing stricter rules on food processors for reporting potential contaminations and introducing a new electronic database manufacturers can use to report food safety issues.
City Takes Calorie Counting Off Table If Healthier Menus Put On
A new program put into place in San Antonio may allow that city to avoid the kinds of calorie-posting regs spreading in other cities.
The basic idea: If operators voluntarily develop more healthful menus, tedious labeling requirements might not be needed.
The San Antonio Restaurant Association recently teamed up with the Metropolitan Health District to help local restauranteurs develop the healthier menu options. In the plan, the health department's dietitians will analyze restaurant menus and help owners develop healthier recipes.
The city's mayor said he may consider regulations to help curb obesity in the future, but for now, he said, the voluntary program deserves a chance. Surveys indicate the incidence of diabetes in San Antonio is twice the national average, partly due to the high Hispanic population's diet heavy in foods like tortilla chips cooked in lard.
CEC Posts New Lighting Certification Instructions
Manufacturer selling lighting products in California (and presumably curious foodservice end-users) can now find out how to certify lighting products to meet Title 24 standards at the California Energy Commission's Web site. The CEC has updated all its certification materials and instructions to meet the 2008 version of the standards. The last update was in '05.
Commercial products for which new instructions are available include lighting control devices; dimmable ballasts for T5 and T8 linear fluorescent lamps (when used to earn a Power Adjustment Factor); and line-voltage, track-lighting, integral-current limiters. Materials and instructions for residential lighting products also are available.
The CEC said devices certified to the '05 and
earlier versions of Title 24 standards will be removed from the active listings after Jan. 1. Suppliers are urged to recertify their products to the new standards before then to keep them on the active list.
You'll find certification materials and instructions at www.energy.ca.gov/appliances/database/forms_instructions_cert/lighting. If you have questions you can e-mail appliances@energy.state.ca.us.
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