Elizabeth Harrington of the Washington Free Beacon details efforts on Capitol Hill to fix an Obama-era regulatory problem.
The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation Tuesday giving greater flexibility to restaurants and grocery stores in complying with an Obamacare regulation that mandated every food item be labeled with calorie counts.
The Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, sponsored by House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.), passed on a 266 to 157 vote, with 32 Democrats joining Republicans.
“This bill isn’t about the merits of calorie counts; it’s about providing flexibility for businesses to provide that information in a way that makes sense for them and their customers,” McMorris Rodgers said. “The one-size-fits-all approach proposed by the FDA is problematic, and by bringing this rule into the 21st Century, customers can trust they are getting the reliable information they need in an easy-to-access, consumer-friendly way.” …
… The bill would alleviate these concerns by allowing businesses to post calories online, and would address issues with the Obama administration’s 171-word definition of a “menu,” which would have applied to coupons and advertisements.”
McMorris Rodgers called the calorie rule, which originated in the Affordable Care Act, one of the “most burdensome rules in the Obama administration.”
