Trust for America's Health (TFAH) applauds the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for releasing two final rules establishing nutritional labeling requirements for menu items sold in retail food establishments and in vending machines. The following is a statement by Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH.
"These long-awaited rules from FDA – which were required under the 2010 Affordable Care Act – are an important step for the future health of the country.
Americans consume around one-third of their total calories and spend half of their food budget eating outside the home – in restaurants, retail food establishments and from vending machines. Letting people know the nutritional value of the food gives them the ability to make better informed decisions about what they order and eat.
Currently, more than two-thirds of adults and more than one-third of children are obese or overweight. This puts millions of Americans at increased risk for a host of health problems. More than 25 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, and another 79 million have pre-diabetes, and one in four Americans has some form of heart disease.
Information is power. In a world full of food options – but disproportionate availability, pricing and marketing of lower-nutritional value foods – menu labeling gives people the power to think for themselves and the chance to factor in the health value of what they choose to consume.
The Administration and FDA deserve credit for creating these wide-reaching rules – an informed public is the basis of a healthy republic."
Global gap in diabetes prevalence and treatment has widened since 1990