If you're an "ignorance is bliss" kind of person, there's good news. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is delaying its mandated calorie labels for restaurants, cafes, and convenience store menus until December 1, 2016. According to CBS News, the FDA says it's extending the deadline to give more companies time to adapt and comply with the rules. "We are taking this action in response to requests for an extension and for further clarification of the rule's requirements," the FDA states in a release.
The New York Times reports that the pizza industry among other food companies have been pressuring the FDA to delay the new rules, adding that a House measure was introduced to delay the calorie counts by a year. "Food companies must be hoping that if they can delay menu labeling long enough, it will just go away," Marion Nestle, a nutrition, food studies, and public health professor at New York University tells The Times.
Much to the dismay of restaurant and alcohol lobbyists, the FDA unveiled the requirements last November in an effort to combat obesity. Since the passing of the Affordable Care Act, chains like Chipotle have been preemptively adapting menus to comply with the new regulations.
As calorie counts grow in popularity, tech companies are trying to get in on the action. In June, Google revealed a new project called Im2Calories that tries to determine the caloric value of food by having diners create photo diaries of their meals. Despite a renewed health-focus, Krispy Kreme is proving that diners still crave high-calorie junk foods.