FDA Issues Supplemental Guidance for Menu Nutrition Labels

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of “Menu Labeling: Supplemental Guidance for Industry,” which includes an advisory of FDA’s intent to exercise discretion regarding nutrient declarations for calories from fat. FDA has taken this position “because the current science supports a view that the type of fat is more relevant to the risk of chronic disease than the overall caloric fat intake.”

The guidance also addresses concerns about the implementation of nutrition labeling, includes “expanded and new examples of alternatives to aid in compliance” and details the criteria for considering natural variations in foods when determining nutritional labels.