Empowering Small Business Owners by Reining in FDA Regulations

“When it comes to running a business – the owner knows best. It’s their vision, their dream. Our bill will empower these innovative entrepreneurs to decide how to best provide customers with the information they need, and grow their business from the ground up.”

Bipartisan Press Conference

April 28, 2015
U.S. Capitol

Participants:

• House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers
• Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
• Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC)
• Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR)
• Peter Larkin, CEO of the National Grocers Association
• Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute
• Mary Lynne Carraway, Domino’s franchise owner in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
• Jonathan Sharp, Domino’s franchise owner in Amarillo, Texas
• Representatives from the National Grocer Association and Food Marketing Institute

Chair McMorris Rodgers, Remarks as Prepared for Delivery:

“Good afternoon – thanks for being here today to talk about how we can roll back one of the costliest regulations to help empower small business across the country. As many of you know – and as many of those standing up here today have experienced firsthand – the FDA’s regulations have hurt American employees, business owners, and our economy. Adhering to burdensome menu labeling requirements will be extremely costly – in both time and resources – for restaurants, grocery stores, delivery chains, and movie theaters across our country. 

“This proposal is one of the most expensive regulations ever – with expected costs being over $1.2 billion and nearly 500,000 hours of paperwork. Think about it this way: for companies like Domino’s Pizza, every potential toppings combination – well over 5 million options – would have to be calculated and publicized. This requirement simply is not workable.

“And these costs and responsibilities wouldn’t fall on the FDA, but instead on the shoulders of hardworking, entrepreneurial Americans. The FDA’s action suffocates the innovative potential of the food industry, making it harder for American businesses to expand and grow from the bottom up. It is our responsibility to reverse the overbearing regulations of powerful government agencies, and represent the needs of American entrepreneurs. That is why I’m proud to sponsor H.R. 2017, the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015.

“The Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015 is the first step forward in reversing this detrimental regulation and holds an overbearing FDA accountable. When it comes to running a business – the owner knows best. It’s their vision, their dream. Our bill will empower these innovative entrepreneurs to decide how to best provide customers with the information they need, and grow their business from the ground up.”