NYC to Defer to the FDA in Calorie Posting Rules

As New Yorkers enjoy their pumpkin spice lattes, the fact that a Grande (16oz) serving will cost them about 380 calories (including 2% milk and whipped cream, because why not?) is becoming common knowledge.  Calorie information has been conspicuously posted on menus at “covered establishments” in New York City for nearly a decade, but on August 28, 2017, New York City agreed to postpone enforcement of its rule requiring restaurants, convenience stores and other establishments to post calorie counts for prepared food in response to a law suit brought by the food industry and supported by the Federal government.

In 2008, New York City became the first jurisdiction in the United States to require chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards.   Shortly thereafter in 2010, the Federal government adopted similar laws by way of the Affordable Care Act.  The Federal government’s implementation of such laws has continually been delayed over the years, but now the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) plans to provide additional guidance on menu labeling requirements in May 2018.  New York City did not want to wait for the Federal guidance to begin enforcement of its Rule 81.50, New York City’s nearly identical version of its federal counterpart.

New York City’s most recent version of Rule 81.50 tracks its federal counterpart and applies to “covered establishments”, which means “a food service establishment or similar retail food establishment that is part of a chain with 15 or more locations nationally doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items, or a food service establishment that is not party of such a chain that voluntarily registers with the United States Food and Drug Administration to be subject to the federal requirements for nutrition labeling of standard menu items pursuant to 21 CFR 101.11(d), or successor regulation”.   For any such covered establishment, “[m]enus and menu boards must provide the number of calories contained in each standard item.”

While the FDA plans to provide guidance in May 2018, New York City nonetheless wanted to move forward with its enforcement of Regulation 81.50 beginning on August 21, 2017, but on July 7, 2017, the Food Marketing Institute and the National Restaurant Association teamed with several other food-service industry groups to file suit against the City of New York for what it said was premature enforcement of nutritional disclosure guidelines for food-service establishments. The National Association of Convenience Stores and the New York Association of Convenience Stores also joined in the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Court documents claim that that the local New York City rules are not identical to the impending FDA rules because they are effective immediately which would clash with the Federal government’s plan to delay compliance for one more year.  The plaintiffs asked the court to stop New York City from enforcing the regulations on the local level prior to the nation-wide rollout in May 2018 and argued that New York City’s Rule 81.50 was preempted by Federal law. The FDA filed court papers in support of the lawsuit.

New York City has now agreed to honor May 2018 as the start date due to the preemption of Regulation 81.50 by the similar provisions contained in the Affordable Care Act. As such, “covered establishments” will have more time to comply and the FDA will be able to set forth guidance as it planned in May 2018.

As the nation awaits the FDA’s guidance, food establishments in New York City should begin to think about whether or not they are a “covered establishment” and the steps they will need to take in order to avoid eventual enforcement action.