Tag: Menu labeling laws

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), federal law requires that chain restaurants with 20 or more locations provide calorie counts and other nutritional information. This has led many diners to question, are restaurants required to show nutrition details in all circumstances, or do smaller establishments have different rules?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), restaurant chains with 20 or more locations operating under the same name are federally required to post calorie information on their menus. However, the rules regarding whether and how do restaurants have to include nutrition facts can vary significantly for smaller, independent establishments and across different states.

According to FDA regulations, US chain restaurants with 20 or more locations must display calorie counts on their menus and provide comprehensive nutrition facts upon request. The simple question 'do restaurants provide nutrition facts?' has a more detailed answer that depends largely on the establishment's size, its location, and legal requirements.

According to the FDA, Americans eat and drink about one-third of their calories from foods prepared away from home, and menu labeling is a growing initiative to provide consumers with transparent information. Many major chain restaurants across the US and UK are required by law to put calories on the menu, making it easier for diners to make informed choices about what they eat.

A 2025 Cochrane review found that calorie labeling leads to a modest 1.8% reduction in selected and consumed calories per meal, equating to roughly 11 calories in a 600-calorie meal. While the impact is small on an individual basis, the population-wide effects suggest that yes, labeling menus reduce calories, but the reality is more nuanced.