In addition to displaying the amount of added sugars per serving, the new labels will also include a Percent Daily Value figure for added sugar, calculated based on guidelines that recommend people consume no more than 10% of daily calories from added sugars. A 20-ounce soda is now 1 serving instead of 2.
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The label features a larger type for calories per serving and a line for “added sugars”.
Michael Jacobson, president of the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, says it’s now impossible for consumers who look at the labels to know how much sugar in foods is added and how much fits into a reasonable diet.
Other changes to the labels: They must now list levels of potassium and Vitamin D, two nutrients Americans don’t get enough of.
The association is also glad that the Nutrition Facts label will now include an updated DV for sodium, which FDA lowered to 2,300 milligrams a day to match the sodium recommendations in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.
“I am thrilled that the FDA has finalized a new and improved Nutrition Facts label that will be on food products nationwide”, said Obama in the FDA statement.
But the labels as they are don’t give consumers an accurate picture of how much sugar is in a particular product, said Michael Jacobson, president of the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Removing calories from fat: Calories derived from fat will no longer be listed because current research suggests that the type of fat you consume is more important than the total amount of fat you consume.
The new label will also update serving sizes.
The new label represents a major blow to food and beverage companies, which are already coping with poor sales as shoppers buy fresher, healthier foods, but none more than soda makers like Coca-Cola Co.
Some of the most important changes-all of which must be implemented by late July 2018, with smaller manufacturers getting an additional year’s extension-deal with the way calorie counts are displayed. So my bag of dried mango will still say that it has 20 grams of sugar, but it will also be noted that there are zero grams of added sugar. By law, serving sizes must be based on the portion consumers actually eat. While fat was the focus in the 1990s when the labels first were created, there is now more concern about how many calories people eat. A 20-ounce regular Coke contains 65 grams of sugar, so the company will now have to list on the bottle that it contains 130% of the recommended daily value.
An example of the new label. As such, it suggests: “a robust consumer education effort will be needed to ensure that people continue to understand how the revised label can be used to make informed choices and maintain healthful dietary practices“.
Multi-serving foods that “can reasonably be consumed at one eating occasion” – like a pint of ice cream – will have two columns: one with information for a single serving from that package, and one for the entire package. “Total Fat”, “Saturated Fat”, and “Trans Fat” will still be required.
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“Now, serving sizes must reflect what consumers realistically will have”.
