An Act To Provide Consumers at Chain Restaurants with Accurate, Accessible Nutrition Information
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0391
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: FAIRCLOTH, BROMLEY, MILLS, NORTON, O'BRIEN, SMITH, SULLIV AN, HALL, SHOREY
Amends: 22 MRSA §2502

Legislative Document 
No. 391 
H.P.311 
House of Representatives, January 30, 2003 
An Act To Provide Consumers at Chain Restaurants with Accurate, 
Accessible Nutrition Information 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative FAIRCLOTH of Bangor. 
Cosponsored by Senator BROMLEY of Cumberland and 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: MILLS of Cornville, NORTON of Bangor, O'BRIEN of Lewiston, SMITH of 
Monmouth, SULLIV AN of Biddeford, Senators: HALL of Lincoln, SHOREY of Washington. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec.t. 22 MRSA §2502 is enacted to read: 
§2502. 
Nutrition information 
Beginning July 1, 2004, a restaurant, which for the purposes 
of 
this 
section 
means 
a 
restaurant 
licensed 
as 
an 
eating 
establishment 
under 
chapter 
562, 
that is identified with 
a 
restaurant chain having 20 or more locations under the same name 
nationally, regardless of the type of ownership of the restaurant 
locations, shall provide nutrition information for all food and 
drink items sold in the eating establishment as follows. 
1. 
Menu boards. 
Caloric information must be provided on 
menu boards in restaurants in which menu boards are displayed. 
The size and arrangement and typeface of the caloric information 
must be similar to and as easy to read as other menu board 
information, 
and the nutrition information must 
be displayed 
adjacent to the listing of the food item. 
2. 
Menus. 
The information must be provided on menus in 
restaurants in which menus are used. 
The size and arrangement 
and typeface of the nutrition information must be similar in size 
of type-face to other information about each menu item. 
The 
nutrition information must 
be 
similar 
to 
the 
categories 
of 
nutrition information provided on packaged foods sold in grocery 
stores and must be displayed adjacent to the listing of the food 
item. 
3. 
Packaging. 
The information must be provided on wrappers 
and boxes used to deliver particular items of food and drink to 
customers. 
The 
size 
and 
arrangement 
and 
typeface 
of 
the 
nutrition information 
must 
be 
similar 
to 
that of nutrition 
information provided on packaged foods sold in grocery stores. 
4. 
Restaurants without menus. 
Restaurants without menus 
must display menu boards on the walls, with at least one menu 
board that can be read from 12 feet away for each entrance. 
The 
menu board must meet the requirements of subsection 1 but contain 
the information specified in subsection 2 or 3. 
Sec. 2. Rules regarding nutrition information. 
By December 3L 
2003, the Department of Human Services, Bureau of Health shall 
adopt rules regarding the provision of nutrition information in 
restaurants required by the State. 
Rules adopted pursuant to 
this section are routine technical rules as defined in the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
SUMMARY 
Beginning July 1, 2004, this bill requires that restaurants 
wi th 20 or more locations in the nation must provide nutrition 
information on menu boards, menus and packaging. 
The bill also 
gives the Department of Human Services rule-making authority.