Food labels are getting a long-awaited overhaul that will make it easier for consumers to understand information on the Nutrition Facts Panel.
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Not only will labels be clearly marked with how much sugar food and beverage manufacturers have added in, it will also show the portion of the daily recommended sugar percentage for the average person (which is limited to 10 percent, based on the latest dietary guidelines). And the serving sizes have been adjusted from “ideal” size to a more realistic amount: One serving of ice cream will increase from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, for instance, and the calories and fat per serving will bump up correspondingly.
For example, whether you’re drinking a twelve or twenty ounce can of soda, the label now sees that drink as one serving. By law, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, requires that serving sizes be based on what people actually eat.
Declaration of grams and a percent daily value for “added sugars” to help consumer know how much sugar has been added to a product.
On the new label, manufacturers are now required to list the actual amount, as well as the percent daily value of vitamin D and potassium, along with iron and calcium, which were listed on the previous label.
Peter Nickless, head of the Applied Clinical Nutrition program at the New York Chiropractic College, welcomed the label changes, but said the FDA could have gone further. The FDA’s final nutrition rules will ensure that consumers are empowered with the guidance they need to make healthier, more informed food choices that can reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke. Americans will start seeing the new label soon since most manufacturers will be required to have theirs in place by July 26, 2018. The labels were introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama, who announced them during the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Obama has been an activist against childhood obesity during her time as First Lady.
The Nutrition Facts label regulations apply to all packaged foods except certain meat, poultry and processed egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The regulators argued that foods with lots of added sugars often have low nutritional value, and groups like the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Health Organization recommend that people cut their intake of added sugar.
One of the most notable additions to the label is new line for “added sugars”, which will be located just below a “total sugars” line. Labels will no longer be required to list quantities of vitamins A and C, said the FDA, “because deficiencies of these vitamins are rare”.
In a major loss to the sugar industry, the Food and Drug Administration on Friday ordered food companies to disclose the amount of added sugar in all packaged foods. Having the percent DV on the label will help the public gauge how much – or how little – of the product can be consumed while maintaining a healthy diet.
The FDA says the new label, which is replacing the current 20-year-old label, is created to reflect new scientific information-including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease.
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Here’s what changed on the new labels.. So serving sizes that were equivalent to only a few chips might now reflect the whole package.
