Healthcare

ObamaCare rule requiring calorie counts on menus takes effect

Calorie counts will be required to be posted at thousands of food selling establishments starting on Monday as part of a provision included in ObamaCare, Politico reported.

The rule is being implemented by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who told Politico that he doesn’t view “these nutrition issues as a right-versus-left issue.

“Using information as a vehicle to try to inspire competition is a conservative notion,” Gottlieb told Politico.

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Gottlieb noted that a lot of conservatives appreciate the nutrition information posted on the back of food packages and said the new rules are just an extension of that concept.

Parts of the food industry pushed hard against the rule and delayed the calorie counts, which are being implemented eight years after Congress asked for them.

The calorie count rule applies to chains with 20 or more locations that sell prepared food similar to what is sold at a restaurant, including grocery stores and movie theaters. Many restaurant chains already post calorie counts on their menus.

Calories for foods are supposed to be posted on menus where customers can easily see them.