ENERGY
A/C EFFICIENCY STANDARDS TO LIMIT PATCHWORK REGS
In a win-win-win agreement, air conditioner manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates ...
click here

DATABASE MAKES IT EASY TO LOOK UP ENERGY REGS
Alaska to Wyoming, now you can look up state energy standards....[full story]

ENERGY-EFFICIENT EQUIPMENT PAYS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
A new initiative from CEE is stimulating and expanding incentives from utilities all around the country....[full story]

ENERGY STAR DRAFTS CRITERIA FOR LED LIGHTING
Light Emitting Diodes, those extremely efficient light sources, might soon be getting even more so....[full story]

FED ENERGY EFFICIENCY TAX CREDITS KICK IN
Now, not only do you cut your operating costs—you get a tax break to do it!....[full story]

FLUSH WITH APPROVAL: EPA TO SET SPECS FOR HIGH-EFFICIENCY URINALS
Let's face it: Even the 1-gal. flush is more than needed. So the EPA's looking for input on lower limits. ...[full story]

IRS EXPLAINS ENERGY EFFICIENCY DEDUCTIONS
Passing a law is one thing. Letting you in on it is something else....[full story]

MARRIOTT, TRIPP'S GRILL AMONG 2006 ENERGY STAR WINNERS
A couple of operators were among this year's Energy Star award winners....[full story]

ONLINE CALCULATORS GIVE QUICK ENERGY ESTIMATES
Trying to put together some energy consumption estimates? Check out this Web site.... click here

SOCAL GAS FUELS SEMINAR SERIES
Food regulations, preventive maintenance, ventilation and energy management headline in the utility’s 2005 series.... click here

SOCAL CHARBROILERS OFF HOOK FOR NOW
The South Coast Air Quality Management District is giving up on under-fired charbroiler emissions--for the moment. ... click here

USGBC BOOSTS LEED STANDARDS 14%
Improvement of the breed: LEED...or get out of the way.....[full story]

WATER WORLD? NOT ANYMORE, REPORT SAYS
A report from the Pacific Institute measures just how much dirty hot water we’re in.... click here

EPA
EPA MIGHT REDUCE BIO-FUELS MANDATE
With U.S. food prices climbing like Blue Angels in a fleur de lis, the government might be coming around on food-for-fuel market dynamics. ...[full story]

EPA OFFERS EXTENSION FOR OIL-SPILL REGS COMPLIANCE
Though some debate continues, the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plan rule currently applies to foodservice as well as... click here

EPA TO UNVEIL DRAFT ENERGY STAR DISHWASHER SPECS
AT NRA SHOW MEETING
No more throwing away energy OR water. If you want to see what the Energy Star folks are proposing for warewashers, sign up for the meeting....[full story]

NEW HET TOILET LIST, WORLD TOILET ASSOCIATION DEBUT
Not so long ago, we'd have made a juvenile joke about toilet news. ...[full story]

FCC
FCC DELAYS IMPLEMENTING JUNK FAX LAW
Still faxing offers to people you don't know? You've got one more brief reprieve, at least from the Feds....[full story]

JUNK FAX LAW FINALLY KICKS IN
Not so fast with that fax, fella. The new law, after false starts, took effect Aug. 1....[full story]

NEW FAX LAW FACES CHALLENGE
A new FCC reg against promo faxing is set to kick in. But maybe it won’t.... click here

FDA
AFAQ AFNOR OFFERS ISO 22000 CERTIFICATION IN N.A.
Now food factories to retailers can be certified to the international standard right here in America....[full story]

CANADIANS, MARYLANDERS START TRANS FAT DIET
As of midnight New Year's Eve, the trans fat was in the fire in one Canadian province and one Maryland county. ...[full story]

FDA 2005 MODEL FOOD CODE REVISES STANDARDS
Do your store managers know about major food allergens? They'll need to....[full story]

FDA CATCHES FLAK FOR VOLUNTARY PRODUCE GUIDELINES
Mandatory. Voluntary. Mandatory. Voluntary. What's an agency to do?....[full story]

FDA NOW LOOKING AT SALT CONTROL
Processed foods and restaurant meals have us whacked out on salt. ...[full story]

FDA FOOD CODE MARCHES ON
But seven state codes still trace to the 1970s... click here

FDA OKAYS GERM WARFARE TO FIGHT FOODBORNE ILLNESS
Yes, it's cootie-to-cootie combat deep in the deli....[full story]

MORE INSPECTORS SAY YES TO GLOVES-OFF FOOD HANDLING
Gloves, no gloves, gloves. In some places, now, automated logging of employee washing might be good enough.... click here

WANT A SQUEEZE OF GERMS—ER, LIME—WITH THAT?
Nothing dampens OUR party mood like Latex gloves on the bartender. But the new food code is pretty clear on bare-hand contact. ...[full story]

WHO'S ON WHICH FDA FOOD CODE?
Why did the turtles cross the road? Not all of them have crossed, actually, and of those that did, they crossed several different roads. It's all quite confusing....[full story]

FEDERAL REGULATIONS
GROUPS PITCH FED STANDARD FOR COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION
What happens when manufacturers and energy advocates sort out realistic goals.... [full story]

HOMELAND SECURITY OFFERS GUIDANCE ON ILLEGALS
That guy in the prep area, the one with the fake glasses and nose—what kind of trouble can he cause you? ...[full story]

OSHA RULES ON HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM EFFECTIVE SOON
If you're welding or grinding stainless, you might have a problem you didn't know about....[full story]

NEW OVERTIME REGS KICK IN NEXT WEEK
To exempt... or not to exempt? A new guide will help.... click here

RESTAURANT DEPRECIATION BILL MOVES FORWARD
The ridiculously long depreciation schedule may be on its way out.... click here

SENATE BILL COULD END CREDIT CARD LAWSUITS
Some FACTA-based lawsuits about printing credit-card data on receipts might soon be tossed out. ...[full story]

U.S. HOUSE COULD MAKE QUICKER DEPRECIATION PERMANENT
Hi, we're from the government. And this time we might actually give you a break. ...[full story]

FOG ORDINANCES
DES MOINES FOG ORDINANCE PROVING FOGGY
Okay, so if your café is going to cost $50,000, do you really need a $75,000 grease trap?....
[full story]

FOG CRACKDOWNS SPREADING
Some things just don't make people laugh anymore—Rodney King jokes and tasers come to mind—and you can put sewer overflows on that list too. ...[full story]

THREE CITIES FEEL THEIR WAY THROUGH FOG ISSUE
El Paso, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; and Millbrae, Calif. try to get a grip on a slippery issue with new initiatives....[full story]

FOOD LABELING
U.S. HOUSE PASSES FOOD LABELING UNIFORMITY ACT
The good news is uniformity, for a change. The bad news is loss of local control. Is this the sign of things to come?....[full story]

FOOD SAFETY
HACCP TO HEADLINE IN ALL SCHOOL KITCHENS NEXT FALL
Got HACCP? That’s the question—and requirement—that Congress has put to the nation’s school foodservice departments.... click here

NRA WEB SITE LISTS LOCAL FOOD SAFETY TRAINING RULES
How many hours of instruction are required in Illinois? What certifications are mandatory in Montana? A single site tells you everything....[full story]

SURFING FOR FOOD SAFETY, PART 1
Your intrepid Fortnightly reporters come across a lot of food safety training Web sites. Here’s some.... click here

SURFING FOR FOOD SAFETY: PART 2
Waxing up your virtual surfboard in search of food safety sites... click here

FTC
FTC REQUESTS KID MARKETING INFO
Marketing restraints that started in the U.K. may well be coming here....[full story]

FTC SUBPOENAS FOOD COMPANY MARKETING RECORDS
No more Mr. Nice Fed: As expected, what started as an informal query has become an official investigation....[full story]

INT'L. CODE COUNCIL
ICC HOLDING TOWN HALL MEETING ON JOINT CODES
The new proposed joint ICC-IAPMO plumbing and mechanical code will be the topic July 15—attend in person or by Webcast....[full story]

ICC, IAPMO CONSIDERING COMBINED CODES
It would be nice to settle on a single set of plumbing and mechanical codes. But which ones?....[full story]

ICC/IAPMO TALKS TO COMBINE CODES FAIL
Finally, a unified mechanical code and plumbing code, we thought. But no. It all boiled down to "Who do you trust?"....[full story]

ICC SETS UP GREEN BUILDING COMMITTEE
What's green, and what's sustainable? To help get it all organized, ICC is launching a group to define and get the word out. ...[full story]

ICC WANTS FEEDBACK AT CONFERENCE
Want some input on model codes that impact your operations? Don't say nobody invited you. ...
[full story]

ICC WRAPS UP LATEST CODE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE
Check out the latest changes from the Int'l. Code Council. ...[full story]

INT'L. MECHANICAL CODE
ICC GROWS PLANS FOR CERTIFICATION OF GREEN-BUILDING OFFICIALS
If you're gonna grow green buildings, you need to grow knowledgeable green inspectors. ...[full story]

ICC MANDATES HOOD INTERLOCKS DESPITE FOODSERVICE PROTESTS
You win some; you lose some. This one will cost....[full story]

ICC OFFERS TELEPHONE SEMINAR SERIES ON CODES
Stumped on the 2006 International Codes? Let your fingers do the walking....[full story]

URGENT: PUBLIC COMMENT BY JUNE 16, 2005
How about a costly new requirement, with no public or private benefit, based on erroneous assumptions? This idea's as bad as they get...[full story]

ISO
FINAL DRAFT OF ISO SAFETY STANDARD IN REVIEW
ISO is hoping to make your job—serving safe food—a little easier....
[full story]

LABOR LAWS
DON'T MESS WITH NEW CHILD LABOR RULES
Wal-Mart recently forked over more than $134,000 in fines in three states— so be forwarned....[full story]

HOMELAND SECURITY OFFERS GUIDANCE ON ILLEGALS
That guy in the prep area, the one with the fake glasses and nose—what kind of trouble can he cause you? ...[full story]

MISC.
APPEALS COURT LETS NYC'S CALORIE-POSTING LAW STAND
After about a half-dozen rounds of legal scuffling, the Big Apple's law is upheld. ...[full story]

BK SWAPS APPLES FOR FRIES, JOINS KIDS AD INITIATIVE
Another entry in the race to see whether the FTC or food companies themselves regulate their advertising to children. ...[full story]

CALORIE-COUNTERS CONTINUE TO CHASE CHAINS
You might as well start assembling your menu's nutritional data now. The writing, so to speak, is on the wall. ...[full story]

DOUGHNUTS, COFFEE DRIVING DRIVE-THROUGH ANGST
Is that a smile, or are you clenching your teeth? An awful lot of drivers in search of their caffeine are causing traffic concerns. ...[full story]

DRIVE-THROUGHS GOING THE WAY OF DRIVE-INS?
What's all this fuss about traffic jams?....[full story]

DROUGHT TRIGGERS WATER RESTRICTIONS AROUND UNITED STATES
From Atlanta to Los Angeles, it's getting harder to stick your head in the sand. Or maybe easier. ...[full story]

FOOD COMPANIES GO ON JUNK FOOD AD DIET
McDonald's joins 10 food companies in restricting advertising certain foods to children....[full story]

FORGET TRANS FAT; CALORIES ARE THE NEW TOBACCO
Calories aren't inherently bad. They're just bad when they're piled up on your skeleton. But a lot of places want warning signs everywhere about them.. ...[full story]

HONEY-SAN, I SHRUNK THE FOOD WASTE
Q: What’s shaped like a tiny Japanese washing machine and uses microwave energy to zap food waste into a lighter, more compact form?... click here

IMC ’06 TO REFLECT ASHRAE 154
Good news for all you folks working with kitchen ventilation. ... click here

KANSAS RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS NOW ONLINE
Yes, the Jayhawk State jumps on the online haywagon....[full story]

MERCURY REDUCTION LAWS SLIP INTO EFFECT
Remember playing with those little mercury beads when you were a kid? Think how smart you'd be now if you hadn't touched them....[full story]

MORE STATES ADOPTING EU-TYPE ROHS LAWS
Eight states now are saying no to electronics made of scary mercury and other hazardous elements. ...[full story]

NATIONAL FUEL GAS CODE
NO MORE RESIDENTIAL GAS CONNECTORS, NEW NFGC SAYS
I don't smell anything. Do you smell anything?....[full story]

NFPA
COMMENTS SOUGHT FOR PROPOSED NFPA 96 CHANGE
Now's your chance to sound off about when you should be required to use an exhaust system for cooking....[full story]

NSF
NSF/ANSI 18 CHANGES ANNOUNCED
Attention, makers of manual food and beverage dispensing equipment... click here

NSF LISTS FOOD-SAFE COMPOUNDS ONLINE
Have you ever had to prove to health inspectors the food safety-ness of vegetable wash products or hand sanitizers?... click here

NSF OFFERS TRAINING COURSE ON RESTAURANT PLAN REVIEW
NSF has debuted a training course on Restaurant Plan Review.... click here

REVISED NSF/ANSI STANDARDS 6, 8 USE NEW TEST METHODS
Membrane filtration tests allow an actual microbial head count. Well, maybe not exactly heads....[full story]

NUTRITION
COMPANIES PULL SOFT DRINKS FROM ALL U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Nine months after voluntarily yanking sugary sodas from elementary schools, fizzy makers take 'em out of high schools too....[full story]

FOUR STATES AND D.C. MULL MENU NUTRITION LABELS
Does this plate make me look fat?... click here

MENU LABELING LEGISLATION UPDATE
If at first you don't succeed—Five of12 state labeling bills in the current crop have been down this path before.... click here

NUTRITION LABELS STIFLE COMPETITION
Talk about good intentions going bad. It turns out that bigger companies are better at labeling, too....[full story]

OBESITY LAWSUITS
FEDERAL OBESITY-LAWSUIT BILL MOVES FORWARD
Obesity suits will have fat chance in U.S. Congress. ... [full story]

HIGH SCHOOL SODA VENDING MACHINES COMES UNDER FIRE
This time the food police are raising their teargas guns and riot shields to push back soft drinks and sports beverages....[full story]

U.S. HOUSE PASSES "PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY" BILL
This one wouldn't help you with ADA accessibility, but if the Senate signs off, at least you couldn't be sued for causing obesity. Can we say obesity any more?....[full story]

SMOKING REGULATIONS
COMPETING SMOKING BANS BATTLE ON ARIZONA BALLOT
Call it a Battle Of The Bans. Or, maybe a Shootout At The Not OK Corral. Or, no, wait....[full story]

FORGET TRANS FAT, CALORIES; TOBACCO IS STILL TOBACCO
Smoking bans aren't the trendy topic they once were. But they're still spreading like a brushfire. ...[full story]

FRENCH FACE POSSIBILITY OF QUITTING COLD TURKEY
A Frenchman without a Gauloise? When donkeys fly....[full story]

LORD OF THE (SMOKE) RINGS TRILOGY:
PT. I: CHICAGO SNUFFS PUBLIC SMOKING, WITH IMPORTANT EXCEPTION
Cold times ahead for Chicago smokers, with a few exceptions....[full story]

PT. II: AND YOUR LITTLE DOG, TOO
It's a bit like an Oz dream. Click your heels together all you want. Kansas might soon ban smoking. But its cities are free to go every which way....
[full story]

PT. III: WESTIN JUMPS ON SMOKING BAN WAGON
Yes, go Westin, young man. Just don't bring your cigarettes....[full story]

LOUISIANA SENATE OKAYS SMOKING BAN; NEW JERSEY SCRAPS '25-FOOT' RULE
For a minute there, we tried to picture Bourbon Street without cigs. And we couldn't....[full story]

MORE LOCALITIES BLOWING SMOKE OVER SMOKING
Smokers don't seem to have the lung power to shout down regulators. ...[full story]

MORE SMOKING BANS IN THE WORKS
Let's face it. Smoking's done. Stick a fork in it....[full story]

RESTAURANT TAKES ON FLORIDA SMOKING BAN
After you think about this one for a minute, you'll be surprised the angle hasn't come up before.... [full story]

SMOKERS ON THE RUN, HITHER AND YON
"Smack That Smoker Silly" is now even more popular than"American Idol."....[full story]

SMOKERS WIN IN TOBACCO COUNTRY, LOSE ELSEWHERE
Tobacco's goose is cooked, it's up in smoke, it's kaput, stick a fork in it—except where jobs are at stake....[full story]

SMOKING BAN ROUND-UP: FOUR STATES STILL STRUGGLE
Live by the word, die by the word. States in a hurry have written some pretty leaky laws....[full story]

SMOKING BANS: CONFUSION; EXTENSION; TOOTHLESSNESS?
Among countless anti-smoking actions around the country, here's a Whitman's Sampler of three that are kinda nutty....[full story]

WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY SMOKING?
This isn't even a foodservice story, unless cannabis could be considered a salad item, but, uh, what were we saying? ...[full story]

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S IRE—OR NOT
In at least three states, anti-smoking rules recently have gone down in ... flames.... click here

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S LAWYERS
Frankly, news about smoking debates has gotten out of hand. But we had to do a brief roundup....[full story]

TRANS FATS
'GOVERNATOR' SIGNS TRANS-FAT BAN
California's the first with a state-wide ban. ...[full story]

STEAK 'N SHAKE, STARWOOD, ARBY'S, EVEN CANADA GET PHAT GOING TRANS FAT-FREE
Add trans fats to that list along with the dodo, the Hindenburg, the Edsel and what else? ....[full story]

TRANS FAT DEBATE STILL A WEIGHTY ISSUE IN MANY LOCALES
This trans fat business flared up like grease hitting an open flame. Here's an update on cities, states and counties taking action Plus a Web site to watch....[full story]

TRANS FAT OUT, OFF TABLE AND DISMISSED
More news on trans fat, which is about as popular as Michael Moore at a Republican convention these days....[full story]

FAT FIGHT TRANSFORMING LEGISLATIVE LANDSCAPE
The groundswell against swelling waistlines and heart troubles has translated into an all-out assault on trans fats. Not just hither, but yon, and beyond....[full story]

TRANS FAT THE NEW TOBACCO; MORE LAWS IN WORKS
With cigarettes and trans fats out, pretty soon we could start the jumping jacks....[full story]

UL
UL TO UPDATE FIRE EXTINGUISHER TEST STANDARD
"Hot" news: The Northbrook, Ill., testing organization has proposed updates to UL 300.... click here

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
JUNK FOOD IN SCHOOLS BLOWN INTO FEDERAL CASE
Drop the Snickers and step back slowly. The right to bear cheese-puffs in school has now become a federal issue....[full story]

SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICY COULD SPREAD ‘NO-FRY’ ZONES
Federal pressure on school nutrition may put heat on fried foods, which might splash back on fryers.... click here