The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to update the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect the latest scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease.
The proposed label also would replace outdated serving sizes to better represent the amounts people actually consume. It would also have a new design to highlight key parts of the label, such as calories and serving sizes. The FDA would like it to be easier for consumers to make better informed food choices that will support a healthy diet.
PROPOSED LABEL FORMAT (above left) along with CURRENT LABEL FORMAT (above right) Some of the proposed changes to the label the FDA would:(1) • Require information about the amount of “added sugars” in a food product. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that intake of added sugar is too high in the U.S. population and should be reduced.(2) The FDA proposes to include “added sugars” on the label to help consumers know how much sugar has been added to the product. • Update serving size requirements to reflect the amounts people currently eat. • Present “dual column” labels to indicate both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for larger packages that could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings. • Require the declaration of potassium and vitamin D, nutrients that some in the U.S. population are not getting enough of, which puts them at higher risk for chronic disease. • Revise the Daily Values for a variety of nutrients such as sodium, dietary fiber and Vitamin D. • While continuing to require “Total Fat,” “Saturated Fat,” and “Trans Fat” on the label, “Calories from Fat” would be removed because research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount. • Refresh the format to emphasize certain elements, such as calories, serving sizes and Percent Daily Value, which are important in addressing current public health problems like obesity and heart disease.(1)
