The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has unveiled the new food label on May 20 to help consumers make healthy choices.
The revamped version mirrors the latest in food science research and the most significant nutrition facts. This move aims to help Americans make informed decisions when planning and buying food for their families.
FDA's Dr. Robert Califf says that for over two decades, Americans have depended on food labels as their number one source of knowledge about calories, fats and other nutrients to better understand the food they eat. He adds that the refreshed label may help people choose better options, which is one of the most essential steps toward decreasing the probability of obesity and heart disease.
Details Of Label Update
The redesigned Nutrition Facts shows multiple key changes including a refreshed design for the "calories" and "servings" label.
It also presents serving size requirements that are more applicable to how much food people actually eat. Such recommendations have not been changed since 1993, and according to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, serving size requirements must be able to reflect the actual situation.
The new label highlights the "added sugars" content of food by revealing their grams and percent daily value. It is a struggle to meet nutritional requirements while being very cautious about calorie intake, especially if more than 10 percent of calories come from added sugars. The addition will help people monitor their calorie intake better.
The FDA has also added a dual column label indicating "per serving" and "per package" information for food packages that may or may not be finished in just one meal or sitting. Examples of these food products include a tub of ice cream or a bag of chips.
Sodas in can or those that typically come in one or two serving sizes will be labelled as a single serving because individuals usually consume them in one go.
The new label also reflects the updated values of vitamin D, dietary fiber and sodium in accordance with the Institute of Medicine and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Changes in vitamin labels are also noted. Information about Vitamin D and potassium now includes the actual gram contents, and vitamin A and C will no longer be necessitated as insufficiencies of these nutrients are rare.
As research shows that the type of fat is more valuable than the amount, "Calories from Fat" label will be removed, but information about "Total Fat," "Saturated Fat," and "Trans Fat" will still be mandatory.
The Supplement Facts label also gets a revamp to better support the Nutrition Facts label.
First Lady, Pleased
The new food label is an important milestone that supports First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Program, which aims to raise healthier generations.
"I am thrilled that the FDA has finalized a new and improved Nutrition Facts label that will be on food products nationwide," says the First Lady. She adds that this is going to spark a genuine difference in giving families across the U.S. the information they need to come up with healthier decisions.
