Bill Text: HI SCR22 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Department of Health; Chain Restaurants; Food Labeling; Nutrition; Federal Policy

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-01 - The committee on HTH deferred the measure. [SCR22 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2015-SCR22-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	22
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of health to adopt administrative rules requiring a REStaurant with twenty or more locations in the state to post calorie and carbohydrate information for standard menu items on the menu or menu board and to provide all other nutrition information to customers in the restaurant, upon request.

 

 

     WHEREAS, good nutrition plays an essential role in maintaining the health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 requires nutrition labeling on packaged food, and nutrition labeling of cans and bags has been a long-accepted practice; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite having access to this nutrition information, the number of Americans who are obese continues to rise; and

 

     WHEREAS, in November 2013, the adult obesity rate in the United States rose to approximately 27 percent; and

 

     WHEREAS, obesity-related conditions are some of the leading causes of preventable death, including heart disease, type two diabetes, stroke, and cancer; and

 

     WHEREAS, if obesity continues to rise there will be an increased burden on the health care system as health deteriorates; and

 

     WHEREAS, parallel to the rise in obesity, the number of people consuming their calories in restaurants has continued to rise in recent years; and

 

     WHEREAS, in many restaurants there is a lack of nutrition information available to customers, often making it difficult for customers to make healthy food selections; and

 

     WHEREAS, a person who eats at a restaurant consumes approximately two hundred extra calories per day on average than a person who eats at home; and

 

     WHEREAS, given the increase in people choosing to dine at restaurants, the inclusion of nutrition information on menus may contribute to obesity prevention; and

 

     WHEREAS, providing nutrition information at the point of purchase helps consumers take personal responsibility for their food choices and health; and

 

     WHEREAS, menu labeling provides restaurants with an incentive to add a wider variety of healthy choices for their customers; and

 

     WHEREAS, in an effort to combat the national obesity epidemic in the United States, several states, including California, Indiana, and Massachusetts, have considered or have passed laws requiring restaurants to list nutrition information for menu items, resulting in different menu labeling requirements across the country; and

 

     WHEREAS, under section 4205 of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, restaurants and similar retail food establishments with twenty or more locations are required to list calorie information for standard menu items on menus and menu boards and to make other nutrition information available in writing, upon request; and

 

     WHEREAS, section 4205 of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is supported by the National Restaurant Association and preempts conflicting state and local laws; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Food and Drug Administration is responsible for implementing section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care of Act of 2010 and has issued a Federal Register notice specifying the terms and conditions for implementation; and

 

     WHEREAS, the implementation of section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care of Act of 2010 is pending the federal Food and Drug Administration's issuance of final rules; however, the Food and Drug Administration has already missed its self-imposed deadline to do so; and

 

     WHEREAS, until the Food and Drug Administration issues its final rules, this body finds that the Department of Health should take the initiative to adopt its own administrative rules to implement mandatory nutrition labeling for chain restaurants in Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to adopt administrative rules requiring a restaurant with at least twenty locations in the State to post calorie and carbohydrate information for standard menu items on a menu or menu board and to provide all other nutrition information to customers in the restaurant, upon request; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Chairperson of the Hawaii Restaurant Association, and Chairperson of the Hawaii Food Industry Association.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Department of Health; Chain Restaurants; Food Labeling; Nutrition; Federal Policy