Although food manufacturers have been operating within the regulatory confines of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act since it was finalized in 1990, dining establishments somehow escaped the labeling labyrinth. Restaurants were free to make implied--even blatant--health claims on their menus without having to provide much in the way of proof. All that changed in July 1996. The restaurants' reprieve officially ended when the PDA amended its food labeling regulations to remove provisions that exempted restaurant menus from conforming to the labeling standards for nutrient and health claims. In other words, as of May 1997 (one year from the amendment date), unsubstantiated health claims on menus are no longer allowed, and all restaurants must provide customers with backup nutritional information for claims made on menus.
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