Restaurants get more time to post calorie counts

Just how many calories are in that burger and fries?

Although most restaurants don't have to display those sorts of buzz-killing details today, they will by the end of next year.

Under a Food and Drug Administration rule released last year, restaurant chains and some other retailers that sell prepared food were supposed to provide customers with calorie counts by Dec. 1, 2015.

The FDA announced Thursday that retailers will now have an extra year to meet that requirement.

Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said calorie information can't come too soon. She's been advocating for the labels for 10 years as a way to combat the obesity epidemic.

But she said the extension is fair, given that the FDA hasn't yet issued instructions for complying with the new rule. There was simply no way that restaurants could comply in time.

The labeling rule applies to retailers with 20 or more locations and include not just restaurants, but supermarkets, convenience stores and even movie theaters. These retailers will have to display calorie counts on their menus, menu board and displays.

Labels can be a powerful tool for helping people cut calories, Wootan said. Calorie labels not only help consumers make informed choices; they push restaurants to rethink their recipes and serve smaller portions.

People get about one-third of their calories in meals consumed outside the home, according to the FDA.

Some retailers – including Starbucks, McDonald's and Panera – already display calorie information on their menus, Wootan said. Twenty-one communities – including New York, Philadelphia and California – also require calories to be listed on menus, Wootan said.

In Seattle, which implemented a calorie law in 2009, restaurant entrees lost an average of 40 calories after the law took effect, Wootan said.

While most diners realize that cake and ice cream aren't diet food, studies show that most people – even professional dietitians – are unable to accurately estimate the number of calories in their food, Wootan said.

"A typical entrée at a sit-down chain restaurant has a half day's worth of calories," Wootan said. "If you add a beverage and side dish, you could easily end up eating over a day's worth of calories in one meal without feeling like you've overeaten."

The National Restaurant Association, an industry group, welcomed the extension.

"We have been in full support of a nationwide, uniform menu labeling standard since the very start," said Dawn Sweeney, the association's CEO. "This standard makes good sense for the industry and our customers."

The labels are required under the Affordable Care Act, which passed in 2010.