Menu Labeling Rule In Limbo As Feds Signal Last-Minute Delay

A federal rule that would make it mandatory for all restaurant, supermarket and convenience store chains to post calorie counts on their menus is in limbo, just days before it was set to take effect.

The regulations require any restaurant, grocery or convenience store chain that sells food with 20 or more locations — from Walgreens to Mariano's to McDonald's — to post calorie counts on menu boards or signs, starting May 5. On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration submitted paperwork to the White House Office of Management and Budget that signals the rule could be delayed.

The Trump administration has sought to lift regulations that it calls burdensome to businesses.

Key players in the long-running battle over calorie regulations were unsure Thursday of the rule's future after the FDA's move. Proponents of the labeling effort, like watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest, say the rules are at risk, but not necessarily off the table.

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