April 1, 2011 the FDA released a proposal that would require chain restaurants, convenience stores, cafeterias, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, vending machines and establishments within a larger establishment that are part of a chain (ie: Starbuck’s within a Barnes and Noble ) to display calorie information for their food products.

In a recent article in the Nation’s Restaurant News,  Dawn Sweeney, president and chief executive of the National Restaurant Association  was quoted saying,  “The National Restaurant Association anticipates there will be many questions and after full review of the proposal, will provide detailed comments to the FDA to ensure that restaurants are provided adequate time and are able to comply with the regulations effectively, as well as provide information to consumers in the most usable way.”

So what does this proposal mean to you if you are a restaurant owner? You can read the 183 page report  or check out NRN’s Overview.