House passes changes to calorie labeling on menus

The House approved a bill Friday modifying new menu labeling requirements under Obamacare, making at least 73 times the chamber has voted to repeal or change President Obama's healthcare law. The measure passed 266-144, with 33 Democrats joining all but one Republican in voting to approve it. It's not clear whether the Senate will take up the bill, as President Obama has said he opposes the legislation, which grants greater flexibility in how establishments selling food may display caloric information. "The government should not be placing more harmful barriers in the way of hardworking small businesses," said House Speaker Paul Ryan. "This important legislation would roll back the FDA's burdensome menu labeling rule, giving American restaurants, grocery and convenience stores the flexbility they need to be successful." While the calorie labeling requirement stems from the Affordable Care Act, the Food and Drug Administration has laid out rules for complying with it that some say are too burdensome, especially for establishments such as movie theaters and convenience stores that sell more than just food. In its current form, the bill allows food sellers to list caloric information online or on a single menu board or flier, instead of displaying the information next to each individual item. The bipartisan legislation was co-sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the fourth-ranking House Republican, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif...more