Carper Initiative Giving Consumers More Information About Food Choices Enacted

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement applauding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for finalizing menu-labeling requirements mandated by a bipartisan provision he co-authored in the Affordable Care Act. The new regulations will require chain restaurants, similar retail food establishments, and vending machines with 20 or more locations to provide consumers with nutritional and caloric information about the foods they sell.

"Our country is facing an obesity epidemic that adversely affects the quality of life of millions Americans and puts a tremendous strain on our health care system. That's why l worked closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that the Affordable Care Act included this provision to give consumers the tools they need to make smarter and healthier food choices at many of the places they dine outside of their homes. Requiring chain restaurants and vending machines to list nutritional information is by no means a cure-all, but it is a long-awaited and positive step forward in establishing a national standard for nutritional information disclosure. I commend the Administration for finalizing these rules and I will continue to look for common sense ways to empower Americans to make more informed and hopefully healthier food and lifestyle choices."

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