(CHICAGO) May 29, 2014 – NAMA’s Senior Vice President Eric Dell announced a major victory for the industry in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee voted to include report language in its fiscal 2015 Agriculture Appropriations bill that recommends standards to FDA that vending operators could meet to comply with pending Calorie Disclosure Rules.
The language is as follows: ‘To meet the requirements of the law, FDA should accept a clear, visible display of calories on the front of the package of articles of food sold from a vending machine or on the front of the vending machine as meeting such requirements.’
“This amendment marks great progress in promoting a common-sense answer to Calorie Disclosure and recognizes the accomplishments of the industry in meeting the Congressional intent of the original law even before the final rules have been issued. If adopted by FDA, it has the potential to save operators and suppliers alike the tens of thousands of dollars it would have cost them each year to comply with onerous regulations,” said Dell. “It’s important that this development is recognized as a team effort. Our grassroots campaigning paid off, thanks to the tireless participation of our members, many of whom had meetings with lawmakers, wrote letters, made phone calls and more, coupled with strategic outreach on the national level alongside our industry coalition partners,” he continued.
“Together, we led discussions and pursued this with lawmakers who agreed that the proposed Calorie Disclosure regulations for vending would cause undue harm to our industry,” said Dell. “
“We are thankful to those who supported this effort, especially Rep. Alan Nunnelee (MS-1) who sponsored the amendment and Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-2), who spoke in support of the amendment.”
“As a next step, the Agriculture Appropriations Bill will be voted on in the full U.S. House of Representatives,” said Dell
Founded in 1936, NAMA is the association representing the $42 billion U.S. vending and refreshment service industry. With more than 1800 member companies – including many of the world’s most recognized brands – NAMA provides advocacy, education and research for its membership. Visit NAMA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
