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History
- Referred to consumer protection
- Referred to consumer protection
Full text
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Title of bill
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to disclosure of the ingredients and nutritional information of foods offered for sale in fast food restaurants
Summary
This bill would amend the General Business Law by adding a new Article 30-B entitled "Fast Food Restaurants" and a new section 635 which would require fast food restaurants, upon request, to disclose the ingredients and nutritional information of all food offered for sale in the restaurant. Additionally, fast food restaurants would be required to post a sign informing consumers of their right.
Justification
With the advent and growth of nationally franchised fast food restaurant chains, the manner in which restaurant food is prepared and the amount of which is consumed by the public has drastically changed. Today, with consumers spending approximately $40 billion a year in fast food restaurants, fast foods play a significant role in the daily diets of millions of people. The traditional diet and daily eating habits of the public have been altered with the increased frequency with which people eat at fast food restaurants. Due to a variety of health hazards associated with many of the ingredients abundantly found in fast foods, there is a crucial need to readily provide fast food ingredients and nutritional information. Many consumers are allergic to ingredients such as FD and C Yellow Dye No. 5 or corn-based sweeteners while others must avoid certain ingredients, such as animal fats or sodium, to reduce the risk of heart disease and other diet related diseases. Readily available ingredient disclosure is the only practical device to enable these consumers to safely eat fast foods. Furthermore, consumers need this information prior to any actual purchase to make an informed choice. To protect the public health from potential hazards and to enable consumers to make an informed decision as to which food they wish to consume, current federal laws and regulations require food ingredients to be listed by name when used in packaged food products. Similarly, due to the types and amounts of certain ingredients found in fast foods, the need to provide full and readily available information is imperative. Furthermore, many fast food restaurants presently make such information available in booklets if a consumer writes to the regional headquarters and requests such information. Thus, the bill would impose minimal additional burdens on these restaurants while providing invaluable health information to the public.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.