Trump admin moving forward on Obama-era calorie-count rule
Trump speaks, accompanied by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP
The Trump administration is moving forward with an Obama-era law, championed by former First Lady Michelle Obama, that would require calorie counts to appear on labels or with food in restaurants, stores, and pizza delivery chains throughout the U.S., per the AP. This comes as a contrast to Trump's administration's recent tact of rolling back Obama-era initiatives.
Why it matters: "When you arm consumers with reliable information, they are going to make better decisions, smarter and more informed decisions about their diet," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told the AP. "Providing this information is more important now than ever because more people are eating their meals away from the home."
Where things stand now: Tuesday the FDA posted suggestions to help business comply with the law, which some businesses had been trying to impact by suggesting they only post calorie counts online, which the FDA has rejected. The rules look like they're on track to go into effect May of next year with a 60-day comment period moving forward. Some major chains, such as Starbucks, McDonald's, and Subway, are already posting their calorie counts. This comes after years of delays from the FDA on rule-writing after the initial law that jumpstarted this process was issued in 2010.