National Restaurant Association Reacts to Court Ruling on Menu Labeling in New York City
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Judge strikes down regulation to require mandatory calorie counts on menus
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(Washington, DC) – The National Restaurant Association has issued the following statement in response to today’s U.S. federal district court decision to strike down a New York City Board of Health regulation requiring mandatory caloric labeling in many of the city’s chain restaurants.
The regulation would have been punitive against multi-unit restaurants, which already provide nutrition information to consumers in a variety of ways – brochures, posters, tray liners, kiosks and Web sites. The New York State Restaurant Association was the plaintiff in the case. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Holwell issued the ruling.
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“We are encouraged by and appreciative of today’s court decision,” said Peter Kilgore, acting interim president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “This decision highlights some of the flaws in the New York City Board of Health’s regulation, which would have attempted to punish the very restaurants that are already providing accurate and comprehensive nutrition information to customers in convenient ways, both in the restaurant and on the Web.
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“We hope this decision will slow a rush to regulate, and will send a message to regulators and legislators that there must be more thought given to pursuing this complex issue.”