What are the requirements for posting calories and offering additional nutrition information?
The law has three major requirements: 1. Calories need to be printed on menus and menu boards — including dessert, beverage, takeout, and website menus — and should be “clear, conspicuous and adjacent to the name of the menu item.” The FDA guidance states, “Both the number of calories and the term ‘Calories’ or ‘Cal’ should be in a type size at least as large as the name or the price of the menu item, whichever is larger, with the same prominence, i.e., the same color and contrasting background as the menu item.” The guidance also states that restaurants may list the calories of each item in a single column titled “Calories” or “Cal” adjacent to the listing of the item. For salad bars, buffets, self-serve foods and beverages, and display-type foods, the calories per food or per serving must be displayed as stated above on a sign adjacent to each item offered. The FDA states, “It should be clear to the customer that the caloric disclosure is associated with the food item.” Calories shou
