Obamacare menu labeling rules go into effect on Monday

Restaurants will be required to list caloric info on menus

President Donald Trump has found one part of the federal health law palatable: He’s allowing Obamacare rules that require chain restaurants to post calorie counts to go into effect Monday.

The rules, which are among the final pieces of the 2010 Affordable Care Act to be implemented, require restaurants to list calories on all menus and menu boards. Restaurants will also have to provide onsite additional nutritional information, such as fat and sodium levels.

The law, intended to nudge Americans to eat healthier, applies to chains with at least 20 stores.

And it won’t be just fast-food and sitdown restaurants that are affected. Grocers, convenience stores, movie theaters, pizza delivery companies and even vending machines must meet the new requirements.

The menu labeling rules will improve public health, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said last week in an interview. He pointed to studies showing that enlightened customers order, on average, up to 50 fewer calories a day.

While that equates to the calories in a small cookie, Gottlieb said, the impact compounded over weeks and months can deliver a large benefit.

“This is a meaningful, incremental step in addressing” the country’s obesity epidemic, he said.

Seeking to alleviate retailers’ concerns, the FDA delayed implementing the rules several times to give the food industry time to comply after finalizing the menulabeling rule in 2013.

The provisions are supported by consumer advocates and the National Restaurant Association.