The National Restaurant Association re-introduced an expanded Zero Waste Zones program in Atlanta on Oct. 23. The program, acquired by the NRA last year, is aimed at helping the city’s restaurateurs, foodservice businesses and retailers become more sustainable and energy-efficient.The program originally was created in 2009 by Atlanta-based Elemental Impact to help restaurateurs create a…

A member of the Seattle City Council is pushing regulatory reform to facilitate a restaurant opening. Complaints from the local small-business community about the necessity of going to multiple departments at the city, county and state levels to open a restaurant only to encounter overlapping or conflicting regulations struck a cord with council members. As…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed measures that would all but eliminate artificial trans fat from the food supply. Under the proposal, the agency would declare that partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fats, are no longer “generally recognized as safe,” (a legal category that permits the use of, say, salt and…

The National Restaurant Association and 36 state restaurant associations have called on Senate leaders to support reforms that will provide restaurateurs and other technology end-users with relief from what it calls “abusive demands from patent trolls.” Operators have been increasingly barraged with patent-infringement litigation demand letters challenging the use of basic technologies, both in restaurant…

Austin, Texas—home to great music, great food and FER‘s own MUFES program—is considering a ban on the building of new quick-service restaurants. The Austin city council is considering a resolution that, if passed, would “restrict fast-food restaurants from locating near areas that children frequent.” Those areas would include schools, municipal parks, child-care centers and libraries.…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released updated information and an FAQ document on the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, which takes effect in January 2014, and may impact a variety of commercial foodservice equipment hooked up to potable water. Congress enacted the RLDWA in January 2011 to amend Section 1417 of the…

The National Restaurant Association’s first-ever Restaurant Innovation Summit in Denver last week brought together restaurant and foodservice professionals, as well as leaders from Google, Square, Wendy’s, Bloomin’ Brands and Dunkin’ Brands to focus on customer engagement through emerging technology. The summit featured sessions on utilizing mobile technology, maximizing in-store and out-of-store customer interaction and leveraging…

The Hawaii State Department of Health plans statewide public hearings Dec. 2-6 to introduce new food-safety regulations affecting all restaurants and food establishments in the state. The new regulations, the first substantial update in the state since 1996, include adoption of the 2009 U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Model Food Code as the basis for…

The National Restaurant Association has launched a broad-based grassroots effort among its members urging Congress to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling to maintain economic stability and consumer confidence. Scott Defife, exec.v.p.-policy and government affairs, said the shutdown is cutting into operators’ bottom line and negatively impacting the livelihoods of the restaurant…

The government shutdown is endangering what America eats, according to food-safety experts. Offices are dark across the federal agencies charged with making sure that fruits, vegetables, dairy products and other domestically produced food are safe to consume. Inspectors, administrative staff, lab technicians, communications specialists and other support staff members have been sent home. The Food…