The White House today unveiled the first major update of the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods in more than 20 years, which will include, among other things, a line that clearly states the amount of sugar added to the product during processing.
According to a White House press release, the major changes to the Nutrition Facts label include:
- A more prominent display of “calories,” “servings,” and “servings per container” that drives consumers’ attention to these important elements when making informed food choices.
- Requirements for declaring the amount of “Added Sugars” in a food product. This is consistent with the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Institute of Medicine’s determination that calorie intake from added sugar is too high in the U.S. population and should be reduced. Including “Added Sugars” on the label will help consumers know how much sugar has been added to a product.
- Updated serving size requirements to reflect the amounts people currently eat. What and how much people eat and drink has changed since the serving sizes were first put into place in 1993. By law, serving sizes must be based on the portion consumers actually eat.
- “Dual column” labels to highlight both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for the whole package of certain food products.
- An abbreviated footnote better explaining percent Daily Value.
- An updated list of nutrients required to be declared based off of public health significance. Vitamin D and potassium—nutrients Americans often do not get enough of—will be required. Calcium and iron will continue to be required. Vitamins A and C are no longer required but can be included on a voluntary basis.
Compliance will be required two years from today, and manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to comply.
A side-by-side comparison of the old label and the new label can be seen by clicking here.
