FDA to Require Calorie Labels on Vending Machines

[DamianTV]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/calorie-info-coming-to-vending-machines/


Office workers in search of snacks will be counting calories along with their change under new labeling regulations for vending machines included in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law.

Requiring calorie information to be displayed on roughly 5 million vending machines nationwide will help consumers make healthier choices, says the Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to release final rules early next year. It estimates the cost to the vending machine industry at $25.8 million initially and $24 million per year after that, but says if just .02 percent of obese adults ate 100 fewer calories a week, the savings to the health care system would be at least that great.

The rules will apply to about 10,800 companies that operate 20 or more machines. Nearly three quarters of those companies have three or fewer employees, and their profit margin is extremely low, according to the National Automatic Merchandising Association. An initial investment of $2,400 plus $2,200 in annual costs is a lot of money for a small company that only clears a few thousand dollars a year, said Eric Dell, the group’s vice president for government affairs.

[kathy88]

And perhaps we can add some vending machine distributors to our ranks.

[asurfaholic]

Great now i know whats killing me before i buy that $.60 bag of (3-4) chips.

Well now it'll probably jump to $.80 or $1.

[LibForestPaul]

Good! bet you almost half these numb nuts voted obama and want free healthcare.

[libertarianMoney]

They pay for our healthcare. That means they have the obligation to help people eat more healthy making it cheaper for everyone.

Wow. Don't you love a good slippery slope?

Did you notice how the article even pointed out they had a profit margin. Thankfully we have our government to protect us from those greedy vending machine owners.

[greyseal]

SEC. 4205. NUTRITION LABELING OF STANDARD MENU ITEMS AT
CHAIN RESTAURANTS. REPEALED!

ANY APPEARANCE OF BEING A REQUIREMENT WAS REPEALED IN 2011.
ALWAYS CHECK THE UPDATES!

SEC. 4205. NUTRITION LABELING OF STANDARD MENU ITEMS AT
CHAIN RESTAURANTS.
(a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 403(q)(5)(A) of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343(q)(5)(A)) isamended—
(1) in subitem (i), by inserting at the beginning ‘‘except as provided in clause (H)(ii)(III),’’; and (2) in subitem (ii), by inserting at the beginning ‘‘except
as provided in clause (H)(ii)(III),’’.
(b) LABELING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 403(q)(5) of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343(q)(5)) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
1. Labeling & Nutrition > WITHDRAWN - Draft Guidance for Industry ...
www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/.../ucm223266.htm‎
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Aug 16, 2013 - Withdrawn 01/21/2011. ... any time (see 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5)), to ensure that the agency considers your ... 5). Being overweight or obese increases the risk of a number of diseases ... owned, controlled, or operated by a single corporate entity (including those ... Section 4205(b) (403(q)(H)(xi) of the FFDCA).
__________________________________________________ __________
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm223266.htm
WITHDRAWN - Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling Provisions of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

This guidance no longer applies.
For the Federal Register Notice of the withdrawal, see http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-1530.htmIt was withdrawn on January 21, 2011.
see http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-1530.htm

PROPOSED REGULATIONS(non-binding) DON’CUT IT,ANYMORE THAN A MARRIAGE PURPOSAL IS THE SAME AS BEING MARRIED

Based, in part, on extensive comments on the draft guidance
submitted to the Agency, FDA now intends to complete the notice-and-
comment rulemaking process for section 4205 before initiating
enforcement activities. As noted in the draft guidance, FDA is required
to issue proposed regulations to carry out provisions of section 4205
no later than March 23, 2011. FDA intends to meet this statutory
deadline. In the course of developing the proposed rule, the Agency has
considered the comments received on the draft guidance. FDA will then
review the comments it receives on the proposed rule and issue a final
rule expeditiously.

THE SUPREME COURT CALLED THE NUTRITIONAL CONTENT A “CHRISTMAS TREE” ORNAMENT
http://www.wethepeoplefoundation.org/UPDATE/misc2012/OBAMACARE-SCOTUS-DECISION.pdf page 63

“Some provisions, such as requiring chain restaurants to display nutritional content, appear likely to operate as Congress intended, but they fail the second test for sever¬ability. There is no reason to believe that Congress would have enacted them independently. When we are confronted with such a so¬called “Christmas tree,” a law to which many non germane ornaments have been attached, we think the proper rule must be that when the tree no longer exists the ornaments are superfluous. We have no reliable basis for knowing which pieces of the Act would have passed on their own”…….


THE SAME FOR THE EMPLOYER RESPOSIBILITY-REPEALED
Part B—Employer Responsibilities
*[§18101. Repealed. Pub. L. 112–10, div. B, title VIII, §1858(a), Apr. 15, 2011, 125 Stat. 168]

WHY?
§18115. Freedom not to participate in Federal health insurance programs
§18115. Freedom not to participate in Federal health insurance programs
No individual, company, business, nonprofit entity, or health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall be required to participate in any Federal health insurance program created under this Act (or any amendments made by this Act), or in any Federal health insurance program expanded by this Act (or any such amendments), and there shall be no penalty or fine imposed upon any such issuer for choosing not to participate in such programs.
(Pub. L. 111–148, title I, §1555, Mar. 23, 2010, 124 Stat. 260.)
References in Text
This Act, referred to in text, is Pub. L. 111–148, Mar. 23, 2010, 124 Stat. 119, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 18001 of this title and Tables.
par•tic•i•pate
verb \pär-ˈti-sə-ˌpāt, pər-\
: to be involved with others in doing something : to take part in an activity or event with others