WASHINGTON - The recently passed health care bill contains a provision to create a national, uniform menu labeling standard for chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. The standard would provide customers with a wide range of nutrition information ?" mirroring the information available on packaged foods ?" at the point of purchase. Caloric information would be highlighted on menus, menu boards and drive-thru boards.

"The passage of this provision is a win for consumers and restaurateurs," said Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association president and CEO, in a press release. "We know the importance of providing consumers with the information they want and need, no matter in which part of the country they are dining. This legislation will replace a growing patchwork of varying state and local regulations with one consistent national standard that helps consumers make choices that are best for themselves and their families."

The National Restaurant Association co-led an industry-wide coalition that worked proactively with stakeholders to provide an approach that gives consumers one more way to live a healthy lifestyle. The nutrition information provision was publicly supported by industry groups, health and consumer advocacy groups, as well as a bipartisan group of House and Senate members. Enactment of the national standard will negate the need for states and localities from pursuing their own legislation or regulations going forward.

NACS is pleased that the new law will wipe out a confusing web of state and local laws and give the industry one standard. It remains imperative that our store layout and our general concept of food service offerings be recognized as different from our restaurant counterparts. We will work with the FDA during the federal rule making process to ensure that the unique business model of a convenience store is taken into account when deciding exactly how information has to be displayed. Look for a legal compliance document to outline the specifics of how this new law affects retailers in the next few days.