The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved
new regulations to modernize and improve the Nutrition Facts label
that has been required on packaged foods and beverages for nearly
20 years. These new regulations represent the first major changes
to the label since its inception.
Nearly 77% of U.S. adults say they read the Nutrition Facts label
before buying food. The FDA hopes that these changes will provide
consumers with better information to make healthier, well-informed
decisions.
One of the most significant changes to the label is the addition of
"added sugars" listed in grams and as percent Daily
Value. The FDA estimates that Americans on average eat the
equivalent of 20 teaspoons of granulated sugar daily through added
sugars like honey, high-fructose corn syrup, and other sweeteners.
Health officials say added sugars have no nutritional value and
increase overall caloric intake, thus fueling obesity and diabetes.
The hope is that with added sugars listed in their own category,
consumers will be more conscious of choosing food with artificial
sugar content.
This new change is expected to deal a huge blow to food and
beverage makers, especially those in the soft-drink industry. For
example, one 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola contains about 130% of
the recommended daily maximum amount of added sugar. Although
demand for processed foods and sugary drinks has been declining
continuously for a number of years, the new regulations could
finally force many companies to reformulate their products.
Other major changes in the new regulations include:
- Serving sizes on certain products are being increased to reflect the amounts of food and beverages that people are actually eating, rather than what it is believed they should be eating. For packages that are between one and two servings, such as a 20-ounce soda or 15-ounce soup, the calories and other nutrients will be required to be labeled as one serving because people typically consume the entire package in one sitting. For certain products that are larger than a single serving, but could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings, manufacturers will have to provide "dual column" labels to indicate the amount of calories and nutrients on both a "per serving" and a "per package/unit" basis. Common examples include a 24-ounce soda or a pint of ice cream.
- Vitamin D and potassium will be required to be listed on the Nutrition Facts label. Listing vitamins A and C will no longer be mandatory, but they may be included on a voluntary basis.
- "Calories from Fat" will be removed from the Nutrition Facts label because recent research has shown that the type of fat is more important than the total fat intake.
- Daily values for nutrients like sodium, dietary fiber and vitamin D are being updated based on newer scientific evidence.
Manufacturers with over $10 million in annual food sales will have until July 26, 2018 to comply with the new regulations, while manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual sales will have an additional year to comply.
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