“The new proposal would give people a reference guide and enable them to make a better informed decision about the nutrient quality of food, the portion size and how it fits into their daily diet”.
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So if a food label says something has 50 grams of added sugars, the percent daily value for added sugars would be listed as 100 percent. The proposed rule did not include the declaration of the percent daily value for added sugars. According to the agency, “The percent daily value would be based on the recommendation that the daily intake of calories from added sugars not exceed 10 percent of total calories”.
Specifically, the agency wants the “percent daily value” of added sugars listed on labels.
Given that the Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to reduce calorie intakes from added sugar, helping them identify foods that actually contain it seems like a no-brainer, said Susan Mayne, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The FDA has proposed adding information about how much the product adds to the daily recommended intake of sugar.
The Food and Drug Administration proposed an overhaul of the nutrition facts label last year, including a new line for sugars that don’t occur naturally. Since then, a government advisory committee recommended that that people get no more of 10 percent of calories daily from added sugars.
The FDA has also proposed to modify the current footnote on the Nutrition Facts label to help consumers understand the concept of %DV.
Sugars that are added to foods and drinks boost calories but not nutrients, the agency noted.
That’s already done for fat, sodium and cholesterol.
The public has 75 to comment on the proposed rule. Newly reviewed studies suggest that a healthy diet, featuring reduced amounts of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, may reduce the risk of heart disease, the agency said.
It said: “By mandating the separate labeling of added sugars, most GMA members believe that FDA is strongly implying to consumers that added sugars are indeed distinct and different from (and less healthful than) inherent sugars, when they are not”.
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The federally appointed panel of nutritionists produced a report in April that will be used to help the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture update the federal dietary guidelines for Americans. The footnote would say, “The percent daily value (%DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet”.
