FDA Proposes Additional Nutritional Information for Packaged Foods

Proposed rule would require inclusion of 'added sugars' on nutrition labels.

July 29, 2015

WASHINGTON - Following a 2014 proposal to update nutrition labeling requirements for packaged foods, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking further steps to provide consumers with increased access to nutritional information on packaged goods. This week, the FDA released a supplemental proposed rule that would require packaged foods to include the percent daily value (%DV) for “added sugars” on the Nutrition Facts label. This would not apply to food that does not currently require a Nutrition Facts label, such as convenience store food served for immediate human consumption.

In a press release announcing the new proposal, Susan Mayne, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, stated, “The FDA has a responsibility to give consumers the information they need to make informed dietary decisions for themselves and their families. For the past decade, consumers have been advised to reduce their intake of added sugars, and the proposed percent daily value for added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label is intended to help consumers follow that advice.”

The Nutrition Facts label for packaged goods has not been updated in over twenty years. In March 2014, the FDA issued a proposed rule to update both the content of the information contained on the Nutrition Facts label (such as including “added sugars,” updating Serving Size requirements, and revising Daily Values for certain nutrients contained on the label) and the format of the label, with key parts of the label (such as calories and services sizes) displayed more prominently.

While the FDA has not finalized the 2014 proposal, they are now proposing to update the requirements of the Nutrition Facts label by also including a percent daily value for added sugars. Following recommendations from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s report, the percent daily value for added sugars is based on the recommendation that the calories from added sugars should not exceed 10 percent of total calories consumed. To help consumers better understand the percent daily value concept, the FDA is also proposing to revise the footnote language on the Nutrition Facts label. The new footnote would state, “The percent daily value (%DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”

The supplemental proposal will be open for public comments through October 13, 2015. The FDA is not expected to finalize either proposal until early next year, at the earliest. Further, the FDA has proposed to allow manufacturers of packaged foods two years from the date the rule is finalized to come into compliance with the new Nutrition Facts label requirements.

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