Subway said that it will add calorie counts to the menu boards in its U.S. restaurants next month, more than one year before such menu labeling is required for chain restaurants by the FDA.
“For years, it has been a priority for Subway sandwich shops to share full nutrition information with our guests so they can make more informed meal choices,” the chain’s in-house dietitian, Lanette Kovachi, said in a statement.
The new menu boards will appear in Subway restaurants on April 11.
Subway has made recent attempts to give a sense of menu transparency as it aired plans to launch a new additive-free protein option and rid its meat supply of antibiotics. The chain, once criticized for using what’s known as the “yoga mat chemical” in its sandwich bread, has also pledged to remove artificial colors, preservatives and flavors from its menu by 2017.
Enforcement of the FDA’s menu-labeling rules, which was slated for Dec. 1, is now set for one year from when final menu-labeling guidance is issued.
The FDA has not said exactly when it will provide final guidance, noting last month that it would be “as soon as possible.”
The labeling regulations have undergone a number of revisions and delays since they were first introduced, as businesses asserted that earlier versions of the rules were too confusing as well as less applicable to chains with heavy off-site or delivery business.
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