Friday, June 22, 2012
Many of the nation’s largest pizza chains are fighting Washington over a proposed requirement to disclose how many calories are in the food they sell.
Banding together as the recently formed American Pizza Community, companies including Domino’s, Papa John’s, Little Caesars, Godfather’s Pizza and Pizza Hut insist that the new calorie regulation represents an expensive waste of time.
They say posting calorie counts would be difficult, due to the fact that the toppings vary so widely on pizza. Pizza executives also point out that most customers would never see the information before ordering because 90% of pizza purchases are done over the phone or through the Internet.
The new rule crafted by the Food and Drug Administration would require food chains with at least 20 locations to reveal calorie levels on menus. Also, restaurants would have to provide sodium, fat content and other nutritional information available upon request.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
Pizza Chains Band Together Over Proposed Menu-Labeling Plan (by Dina ElBoghdady, Washington Post)
For the Big Food Industry, Lobbying Pays Big Dividends (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
USDA Upgrades School Breakfast and Lunch Programs, but Pizza Still a Vegetable(by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
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