Posted on 12/04/2014 4:19:39 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
The federal government formally completed regulations that will force vending machines and restaurants to display calorie information, which can lead to businesses being fined thousands of dollars for not including the number of calories in a mayonnaise packet.
The regulations, which originated in Obamacare, total 319 pages and will cost industry $1.7 billion to comply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the final rules last week just before the Thanksgiving holiday, arguing the rules are “an important step for public health.”
The final rules increased costs by $542 million from the proposed rules, totaling $531.1 million for vending machines, and $1.2 billion for restaurants to change their menus. In addition, paperwork associated with the vending machine rule will take 1,507,788.5 hours to complete.
Costs are likely to be passed onto consumers, but the FDA believes Americans will be happy to pay more for additional nutrition information.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
If you ever listened to Levin, you’d know that the real power doesn’t come from the Ruling Class per se, it’s from the hundreds of bureaucrats that write law and supersede Congress’ authority out from under their ass.
“In addition, paperwork associated with the vending machine rule will take 1,507,788.5 hours to complete.”
“Hey Frank - how the heck do we know how much it will cost? But they want a number.”
“Yeah - whatever. But put a .5 at the end so they’ll think it is real.”
To me, it is these petty bureaucrats that are the ruling class. They can rarely get fired, they write the rules to not apply to themselves, they are insulated from the damage they do. Presidents come and go, and if elected leaders try to go against them, they can push back, or out wait them. Because the bureaucrats stay forever.
The “administrative state”. Hat tip: Mark Levin, Esq.
As a poster here on FR explained to me once. “A label cost less than a penny, I buy them at the office supply.”
True.
And some enterprising software development individual(s) and companies will come up with software programs that can generate label contents for food items based on the amount of the various ingredients.
These will be front-end costs that will reduce after the initial labels costs.
What good will labeling do? Most somewhat educated people know which foods are more fat and calorie laden and there are a lot of books how there to be a guide.
Many of the people with severe weight problems are among those who cannot and will not read anyway.
That’s OK. President Cruz can sign an executive order cancelling this nonsense out.
What good is a label when more than Half of the Public School Graduates Cannot Read??
It won’t cost the “restaurant industry” (our neighbors who own these businesses) $1.7B. It will cost their customers (our neighbors who eat out) an estimated $1.7B.
And the benefit? Zero. Anyone who doesn’t already know that a bacon cheeseburger or the McD’s fries are high in fat doesn’t care.
Cost and/or inconvenience are irrelevant. It’s none of the government’s business.
And whatever the cost, businesses will not pay it. You and I will.
Washington demands we have the information. Whether we want it or not.
And its just tacks on another cost of doing business.
CA has had this posting regulation for years.
Nobody evens reads the Calorie Numbers on the Menu.
All this time I have NEVER heard anyone even mention the Calorie Count on the Menu, unless they were asking what those silly numbers next to the Food Item were.
Mon Productive Busy Work strikes again, with a Billion Dollar Price Tag.
Speak for yourselves, losers!
Nanny State PING!
Thanks for the ping!
” but the FDA believes Americans will be happy to pay more for additional nutrition information.”
Yea, we are thrilled......
How many people will even read them? This is nuts. Besides, all you have to do is gimmick the serving amount to make fat and calories seem less.
Mayonaise: Serving size 1 gram. Servings per packet: 28...
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