Nevada Debates Expanded Menu Labeling Bill

More comprehensive menu labeling is on the legislative docket in Nevada.

A bill has been introduced in the state legislature that would require eateries with 10 or more locations to post nutritional information in a conspicuous place. Under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration already is crafting regulations requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to apply nutritional information to menus, but as FER Fortnightly reported last month, that regulatory rollout is taking longer than expected.

The bill would cover additional businesses with between 10 and 19 locations; it includes a misdemeanor penalty and a fine ranging from $50 to $500 for the first offense.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that the bill would apply to businesses that have “substantially the same” menus or offerings, regardless of ownership structure. Prepared food sold in grocery store delis or c-stores also could be subject to the new requirements depending on how the FDA’s regulations are crafted.

The state’s major hospitality and foodservice associations oppose the bill. The Nevada Restaurant Association centers its opposition on still-pending FDA regulations. “This needs to be addressed at the federal level,” Warren Hardy, the association’s lobbyist, told the Sun. “It’s safe to say that we support having this codified in state law as soon as the federal rulemaking is done and the rules are established.”