FDA Proposes Changes To Nutrition Labels
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a proposed update to the Nutrition Facts label seen on most packaged foods in the U.S. The changes would replace what the FDA called "out-of-date" serving sizes to better align with how much people really eat.
"To remain relevant, the FDA's newly proposed Nutrition Facts label incorporates the latest in nutrition science as more has been learned about the connection between what we eat and the development of serious chronic diseases impacting millions of Americans," said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.
The new label changes would include:
- Requiring information about the amount of "added sugars" in a food product
- Update serving size requirement to reflect the amounts people currently eat
- Present "dual column" labels to indicated both "per saving" and "per package" calorie and nutrition information for larger packages that could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings
- Require the declaration of potassium and Vitamin D
- Revise the daily values for a variety of nutrients including sodium, dietary fiber, and Vitamin D
- Remove "Calories from fat"
- Refresh the format to emphasize certain elements, like calories, serving sizes, and Percent Daily Value
The proposed changes from the FDA would affect all packaged foods except certain meat, poultry and processed egg products, which are regulated by a different government agency.
The FDA said the changes are open to public comment for the next 90 days. Click here for the Federal Register notice from the FDA.