FDA Revamps Nutrition Labels

For the first time in two decades, the agency has overhauled data on food packages to emphasize calories and sugar.

February 28, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its new nutrition labels for food packages, the first significant changes in two decades, the Washington Post reports. The White House backed the overhaul as necessary to stay in step with nutrition science and to clarify healthful foods.

The new labels will highlight calories per serving, serving sizes more in line with reality, and sugar content. However, the changes will likely be slow to trickle down to supermarket shelves. Nutritional data is placed on around 700,000 products.

“Our guiding principle here is very simple: that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf, and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family,” said First Lady Michelle Obama, in a statement. She unveiled the proposed changes on Thursday.

One of the biggest changes has to do with serving sizes. The agency will alter the serving size for 17% of the 157 food types currently having labels. For example, the current half-cup serving size for ice cream would jump to one cup, a more realistic way the product is consumed.

The agency will take public comments on the label proposal for 90 days, then review the data and possibly modify the rules. The entire process could last for 12 months or longer. After the final rule is released, companies have two years to comply with new packaging.

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