Menu Education and Labeling Act

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to extend the food labeling requirements of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 to enable customers to make informed choices about the nutritional content of standard menu items in large chain restaurants.

10/18/2007--Introduced.
Menu Education and Labeling Act or the MEAL Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require restaurants that are a part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same trade name to disclose:
(1) in a statement adjacent to each menu item, the number of calories, grams of saturated fat plus trans fat, and milligrams of sodium in a standard food serving;
(2) other information designed to enable the public to understand the significance of the nutrition information provided in the context of a total daily diet;
(3) that such information shall be provided in writing upon request; and
(4) in a statement adjacent to the name of the food on a menu board, the number of calories in a serving of the food. Exempts condiments, items placed on a table or counter for general use, daily specials, temporary menu items, and irregular menu items from these requirements. Requires restaurants that sell self-serve food, such as through salad bars or buffet lines, to place a sign that lists the number of calories per standard serving adjacent to each food offered. Permits retail food establishments to voluntarily provide, and states to require, additional nutritional information. Requires vending machine operators to provide a conspicuous sign disclosing the number of calories in each item of food offered.


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Sponsor

• Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D, CT-3]
• and 14 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D, OR-3]
  • Rep. Rahm Emanuel [D, IL-5]
  • Rep. Raul Grijalva [D, AZ-7]
  • Rep. Alcee Hastings [D, FL-23]
  • Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D, NY-22]
  • Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D, OH-9]
  • Rep. Zoe Lofgren [D, CA-16]
  • Rep. Betty McCollum [D, MN-4]
  • Rep. James McGovern [D, MA-3]
  • Rep. George Miller [D, CA-7]
  • Rep. James Moran [D, VA-8]
  • Rep. Janice Schakowsky [D, IL-9]
  • Rep. Henry Waxman [D, CA-30]
  • Rep. Lynn Woolsey [D, CA-6]
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Committees

• House Energy and Commerce
• 1 more
  • House Energy and Commerce
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Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.3895

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
October 18, 2007

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All Bill Actions

• Oct 22, 2007: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
• Oct 18, 2007: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
• Introduced on Oct 18, 2007.

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Related Bills:

• S.2784

Related Issue Areas:

• Labeling
• Vending machines
• Signs and signboards
• Restaurants
• 12 more
• Nutrition
• Law
• Food labeling
• Executive departments
• Diet
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Consumers
• Consumer education
• Communications
• Business
• Administrative procedure
• Food

Data from the Congressional Research Service

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Blog Coverage

December 19, 2008 Nelson, Kinder, Mosseau & Saturley: NKMS: Morsels on Legal Matters ...

The MEAL Act is H.R. 3895 and S.R. 2784. The LEAN Act and MEAL Act are best understood as competing legislation with similar aims. The LEAN Act may impose a lesser burden on restauranteurs. Both acts apply to chains of over 20 ...

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Source: Legal Bites

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October 29, 2008 It’s better to go LEAN

The MEAL act has been referred to the House Subcommittee on Health. Committee members and contact information listed here. Be sure to mention the specific bill numbers in your emails — The LEAN act is S. 3575 and the MEAL act is HR 3895.

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Source: The-F-Word.org

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October 28, 2008 Industry Groups Support Watered Down Menu Disclosure Law (and its ...

The MEAL Act sponsor is Tom Harkin (D-IA) and its co-sponsors are Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA). The MEAL Act's House version, HR.3895 was sponsored by Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and has 14 co-sponsors.

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Source: Food Recalls

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