Senate Bill 2687

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO RESERVE TO THE LEGISLATURE ANY REGULATION OF CONSUMER INCENTIVE ITEMS AND NUTRITION LABELING FOR FOOD THAT IS A MENU ITEM IN RESTAURANTS, FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS AND VENDING MACHINES; TO SPECIFY THAT THE ACT WOULD NOT AFFECT THE FEDERAL REGULATION OF NUTRITION LABELING UNDER EXISTING FEDERAL LAW; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) As used in this act:

(a) "Food nutrition information" includes, but is not limited to, the caloric, fat, carbohydrate, cholesterol, fiber, sugar, potassium, protein, vitamin, mineral, sodium, and allergen content of food. "Food nutrition information" also includes the designation of food as healthy or unhealthy.

(b) "Political subdivision" means any county, municipality, town, district, instrumentality of the state, public corporation, body corporate, commission, board, agency, authority, public body, politic or other public entity responsible for governmental activities in geographic areas smaller than that of the state.

(c) "Consumer incentive item" means any licensed media character, toy, game, trading card, contest, point accumulation, club membership, admission ticket, token, code or password for digital access, coupon, voucher, incentive, crayons, coloring placemats, or other premium, prize or consumer product that is associated with a meal served by or acquired from a food service operation.

(2) The regulation of consumer incentive items and nutrition labeling for food and nonalcoholic beverages that are menu items in restaurants, retail food establishments, and vending machines is reserved to the Legislature and may be regulated only by legislation of statewide application enacted after the effective date of this act. The regulation of the provision of food nutrition information and consumer incentive items at food service operations and how food service operations are characterized are matters of general statewide interest that require statewide regulation, and rules adopted under this section constitute a comprehensive plan with respect to all aspects of the regulation of the provision of food nutrition information and consumer incentive items at food service operations in this state. Rules adopted under this act shall be applied uniformly throughout this state.

(3) No political subdivision shall do any of the following:

(a) Enact, adopt or continue in effect local legislation relating to the provision or nonprovision of food nutrition information or consumer incentive items at food service operations;

(b) Condition any license, permit or regulatory approval upon the provision or nonprovision of food nutrition information or consumer incentive items at food service operations;

(c) Ban, prohibit, or otherwise restrict food at food service operations based upon the food's nutrition information or upon the provision or nonprovision of consumer incentive items;

(d) Condition any license, permit or regulatory approval for a food service operation upon the existence or nonexistence of food-based health disparities;

(e) Where food service operations are permitted to operate, ban, prohibit, or otherwise restrict a food service operation based upon the existence or nonexistence of food-based health disparities as recognized by the department of health, the institute of health, or the centers for disease control.

(f) Restrict the sale, distribution, growing, raising or serving of foods and nonalcoholic beverages that are approved for sale by the USDA or other federal or state government agencies.

(4) This act shall not be interpreted as being more restrictive than any federal law or affecting in any manner the regulation of the nutrition labeling of food that is a menu item in restaurants, retail food establishments, and vending machines pursuant to the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 USC 343(q)(5)(H).

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.