National Restaurant Association: Proposal Creates Unlevel Playing Field Between Restaurants and Grocery, Convenience Stores

(Washington, D.C.) In a letter to lawmakers today, the National Restaurant Association and several restaurant companies said that H.R. 1249 would create an unlevel playing field between restaurants and other entities that serve restaurant food, such as chain grocery and convenience stores, by exempting those stores from providing uniform nutrition information to customers.

“This legislation would broadly exempt chain grocery, convenience stores and other entities that sell restaurant food from providing uniform nutrition information to customers despite that fact that each day thousands of customers purchase meals at these establishments,” said Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President, Policy & Government Affairs, National Restaurant Association. “These companies each made strategic decisions to compete directly with their local restaurant community, in this regard, and need to play by the same rules as those with whom they choose to compete.”

The Food & Drug Administration is currently working to issue final rules on providing nutrition information to consumers.

“We understand that proposed rules have brought on some questions, and we look forward to working with Congress should these issues remain unresolved through the regulatory process,” DeFife said. “However, we strongly believe this legislative proposal is not the right way to address these concerns.”

DeFife added, “The National Restaurant Association believes a uniform, national nutrition standard, rather than a patchwork of state and local requirements, is in the best interest of our members and consumers.”

Read the letter here.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 980,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of more than 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry's largest trade show (NRA Show May 18-21, 2013, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart, including the National ProStart Invitational April 19-21, 2013, in Baltimore, Md.); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids' menu options. For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.


Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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