How the Food Industry Outsmarted the Government on Nutrition Labeling
The packaged food industry's announcement that it has come up with a new system for nutrition labeling is a smart, nimble attempt to thwart the government's unfinished plans for a similar initiative. As part of a "Nutrition Keys" program, food manufacturers like Kraft (KFT), General Mills (GIS) and Pepsi (PEP) have agreed to prominently list at least four icons on the fronts of food packages. These will detail the amount, as well as the percentage of recommended daily intake, of calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars -- information that currently can only be gleaned by turning over the box.
Not coincidentally, this is exactly the sort of thing the FDA has been working on.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), which spearheaded the initiative, said that the plan "was developed in response to a request from First Lady Michelle Obama in March of last year." While Mrs. Obama may have provided some incentive -- fulfilling her wishes always seems to give the food industry ample opportunity for good PR -- the bigger kick in the pants came from the FDA, which in October 2009 announced it would be grappling with the confusing mess of claims, symbols and rating systems that proliferate on food packages. The agency even hinted that it was looking at the dreaded traffic light system briefly toyed with in the UK.
The FDA plods... and plods...
But since then FDA has been working at its usual glacial pace, waiting for not one, but two, congressionally requested, 175-page Institute of Medicine reports on the subject. The first came out in October and we're still awaiting the second.
Meanwhile the food industry sprung into action, quickly agreeing to put its own favorable spin on front-of-package reform. As Marion Nestle, New York University nutritionist and prominent food policy expert, notes, the IOM committee strongly recommended to the FDA that front of package symbols only list calories, sodium, trans fat, and saturated fat -- the bad stuff.
Accentuate the positive!
In their plan, food companies decided to allow some good stuff too. Expect to be reminded that your box of Kellogg's Froot Loops contains 25% of the RDA for vitamin C (thanks to added synthetic vitamins) and 11% of fiber. Kraft's Lunchables will no doubt let you know that its Ham and American Cracker Stackers offer 22% of your daily protein needs and 20% calcium. Food manufacturers can highlight two "nutrients to encourage" as long as the product has more than 10% of the daily value per serving.
The GMA and FMI are smart to get out ahead on this issue, since their scheme is likely to be much more favorable than what the government will come up with. That's if the FDA even bothers at this point. It's hard to say how exactly the Nutrition Keys plan will affect the FDA's front-of-package efforts. But it certainly makes them seem less urgent, and you could even argue -- as the food industry certainly will -- that they're now simply unnecessary.
Image from GMA
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