Nutrition labels may come to the front of food packages under FDA proposal
Updated: 6:26 PM CST Jan 14, 2025
OFF WELL, AND YOUR ADVOCACY BEN FOR SURE. FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH TODAY A STRICTER RULE FOR FOOD LABELS. IT COULD MEAN BIG CHANGES FOR SOME PRODUCTS, INCLUDING YOGURT, BREAD AND ENERGY BARS. HERE TO EXPLAIN DOCTOR SCOTT HADLAND. HE’S THE CHIEF OF ADOLESCENT MEDICINE AT MASS GENERAL FOR CHILDREN. DOCTOR HADLAND. HAPPY FRIDAY. GOOD TO SEE YOU. SAME TO YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. ALL RIGHT. AS YOU KNOW, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME VERY POPULAR ITEMS ON SUPERMARKET SHELVES. SO WHAT’S GOING TO CHANGE? RIGHT. THIS IS A NEW RULE THAT PERTAINS TO WHAT MANUFACTURERS ARE ALLOWED TO CALLED HEALTHY. SO IT USED TO BE THAT CERTAIN FOODS THAT WERE ACTUALLY, QUITE FRANKLY, NOT TERRIBLY GOOD FOR YOU WERE ALLOWED TO BE CALLED HEALTHY UNDER OLD RULES THAT WERE LAST EVALUATED IN 1994. SO ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO, THIS PREVIOUS RULE ALLOWED FOR UNHEALTHY FOODS LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHITE BREAD TO BE CONSIDERED HEALTHY AND MANUFACTURERS COULD CALL THEM HEALTHY IF THEY ADDED BACK CERTAIN VITAMINS OR MINERALS TO THEM. AND THIS NEW RULE KIND OF FLIPS THIS ON ITS HEAD AND SAYS, LOOK, IN ORDER FOR SOMETHING TO BE CONSIDERED HEALTHY, IT HAS TO BE A FRUIT, A VEGETABLE, A GRAIN, A PROTEIN OR DAIRY. AND IT CAN’T EXCEED CERTAIN LIMITS OF ADDED SUGAR, SATURATED FAT AND SALT. AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE UNDER THE OLD RULES, MANUFACTURERS WOULD GAME THE SYSTEM. YOU’D HAVE THESE FUNNY SITUATIONS WHERE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, FOODS LIKE WHITE BREAD WITH VERY LITTLE NUTRITIONAL VALUE. IF THE MANUFACTURER HAD FORTIFIED THEM BY ADDING BACK VITAMINS AND MINERALS TO IT, THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED HEALTHY. BUT OTHER FOODS THAT WE KNOW TO BE GOOD FOR HEALTH, LIKE SALMON OR OLIVE OIL, WERE NOT CONSIDERED HEALTHY UNDER THE OLD RULES. WELL, AND TO THAT END, SOME FOODS YOU MENTIONED A COUPLE THERE, BUT ALSO THINGS LIKE AVOCADOS, NUTS. THEY CONTAIN A LOT OF FAT. WE THINK OF THEM STILL AS HEALTHY THOUGH. WOULD THESE NEW RULES MAKE THOSE UNHEALTHY? RIGHT. SO THESE NEW RULES ACTUALLY ALLOW FOODS LIKE AVOCADO AND NUTS AND THEN SALMON AND OLIVE OIL, FOODS THAT HAVE, YES, A LOT OF FAT, BUT THEIR HEART HEALTHY FATS, FATS THAT WE KNOW IN RESEARCH STUDIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER HEALTH AND REDUCED RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS LIKE HEART ATTACKS AND STROKE, FOR EXAMPLE. ALL OF THESE FOODS ARE NOW CONSIDERED HEALTHY BY THE FDA, AND FOOD MANUFACTURERS CAN ADVERTISE THEM AS SUCH. AND SO WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW IS THAT MOST OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE IN THE PRODUCE AISLE AT THE GROCERY STORE WILL NOW BE CONSIDERED HEALTHY UNDER THESE RULES. ALL RIGHT. SO I GET THE SENSE FROM WHAT YOU’VE SAID SO FAR, YOU THINK THIS CHANGE IS A GOOD IDEA? YEAH. MOST OF THE NUTRITIONISTS THAT I’M HEARING FROM AGREE THAT THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. IT’S GOING TO HELP FAMILIES UNDERSTAND WHAT FOODS ACTUALLY ARE HEALTHY AND ARE, YOU KNOW, WHICH FOODS ARE NOT NECESSARILY HEALTHY. AND THIS ACTUALLY REFLECTS A MOVE THAT WE HAVE AWAY FROM FOODS THAT ARE ULTRA PROCESSED, WHICH WE’VE SPOKEN ABOUT BEFORE IN THE SHOW. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS AS BEING THOSE THAT HAVE A A LARGE AMOUNT OF ADDED SUGAR, SATURATED FAT, FOOD DYES, PRESERVATIVES, SALT, THINGS THAT ARE MEANT TO ENHANCE THE FLAVOR AND EXTEND THE FRUIT. THE THE, THE LIFE OF THE FOOD, BUT ACTUALLY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS. THESE NEW FOOD HEALTHY GUIDELINES FROM THE FDA WILL HELP FAMILIES UNDERSTAND THAT FOODS THAT ARE ULTRA PROCESSED, LIKE THOSE, ARE NOT HEALTHY, AND FOODS THAT ARE FRESH, LIKE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, ARE HEALTHY. AND I GUESS THE LAST THING I WOULD SAY, MANY FAMILIES, I THINK, OFTEN WORRY ABOUT THE COST OF HEALTHY FOODS. THESE NEW RULES FROM THE FDA ALLOW FOR FOODS THAT ARE FROZEN OR CANNED IF THEY SORT OF MEET THE GUIDELINES THAT ARE EXPECTED BY THE FDA TO STILL BE CONSIDERED HEALTHY. AND THESE ARE OFTEN, AS WE KNOW, LOWER COST ALTERNATIVES FOR MANY FAMILIES. AND WE KNOW FROZEN VEGGIES HAVE A LOT OF PROTEIN, HAVE A LOT OF GOOD NUTRIENTS IN THEM. OKAY. DOCTOR SCOTT HADLAND, FIRST OF ALL, HAPPY HOLIDAYS. THANK YOU. HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY AND
Nutrition labels may come to the front of food packages under FDA proposal
Updated: 6:26 PM CST Jan 14, 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing nutrition information be placed on the front of packaged foods to provide at-a-glance information about saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.”This proposal plays a key role in the agency’s nutrition priorities, which are part of a government-wide effort in combatting the nation’s chronic disease crisis,” the FDA said in a statement Tuesday.The proposed label, also called the nutrition info box, would break down information about sodium, added sugar and saturated fat content by saying whether the food contains “Low,” “Med” or “High” levels of the nutrients. The nutrition label on the back of products would remain and complement the information on the front of the label.A few different design options were tested in a representative sample of US adults to see which type of packaging allowed consumers to make “quicker and more accurate assessments” of products, the agency said, and the proposed option performed best in most cases.”Participants, provided more correct answers regarding the helpfulness of the product than the other schemes tested, and also spent significantly less time evaluating the nutrient profile of the product,” Dr. Robin McKinnon, acting director for the FDA’s Nutrition Center of Excellence, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.Products that contain at least 20% of the daily value of a nutrient would be considered to have “high” levels, 5% or less would be “low,” and the “medium” category would capture the rest.The agency said 60% of Americans have at least one chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes and the “excess consumption of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars” is a major contributing factor.”The science on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars is clear,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. “Nearly everyone knows or cares for someone with a chronic disease that is due, in part, to the food we eat. It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that. We are fully committed to pulling all the levers available to the FDA to make nutrition information readily accessible as part of our efforts to promote public health.”Comments on the proposal are open through May 16.Nancy Brown, the chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, said the proposal would simplify nutrition information and help consumers make healthier food purchases.”By proposing front-of-pack labeling in the United States, the FDA is taking an important step to make nutrition information clearer and more accessible, and to empower consumers to make informed choices for their health and the health of their families. For decades, the Nutrition Facts label has been an essential tool to educate people across the country about the nutritional content of their food and drinks, but high rates of diet-related illnesses continue to show that additional actions are needed to address the confusion and barriers consumers face in evaluating and identifying better options,” Brown said in a statement.If finalized, the rule would expect major food manufacturers to add the nutrition info box to most of their packaged foods three years after the rule’s effective date. Food manufacturers with less than $10 million in food sales annually would be expected to comply within four years.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing nutrition information be placed on the front of packaged foods to provide at-a-glance information about saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.
“This proposal plays a key role in the agency’s nutrition priorities, which are part of a government-wide effort in combatting the nation’s chronic disease crisis,” the FDA said in a statement Tuesday.
The proposed label, also called the nutrition info box, would break down information about sodium, added sugar and saturated fat content by saying whether the food contains “Low,” “Med” or “High” levels of the nutrients. The nutrition label on the back of products would remain and complement the information on the front of the label.
A few different design options were tested in a representative sample of US adults to see which type of packaging allowed consumers to make “quicker and more accurate assessments” of products, the agency said, and the proposed option performed best in most cases.
“Participants, provided more correct answers regarding the helpfulness of the product than the other schemes tested, and also spent significantly less time evaluating the nutrient profile of the product,” Dr. Robin McKinnon, acting director for the FDA’s Nutrition Center of Excellence, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Products that contain at least 20% of the daily value of a nutrient would be considered to have “high” levels, 5% or less would be “low,” and the “medium” category would capture the rest.
The agency said 60% of Americans have at least one chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes and the “excess consumption of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars” is a major contributing factor.
“The science on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars is clear,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. “Nearly everyone knows or cares for someone with a chronic disease that is due, in part, to the food we eat. It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that. We are fully committed to pulling all the levers available to the FDA to make nutrition information readily accessible as part of our efforts to promote public health.”
Comments on the proposal are open through May 16.
Nancy Brown, the chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, said the proposal would simplify nutrition information and help consumers make healthier food purchases.
“By proposing front-of-pack labeling in the United States, the FDA is taking an important step to make nutrition information clearer and more accessible, and to empower consumers to make informed choices for their health and the health of their families. For decades, the Nutrition Facts label has been an essential tool to educate people across the country about the nutritional content of their food and drinks, but high rates of diet-related illnesses continue to show that additional actions are needed to address the confusion and barriers consumers face in evaluating and identifying better options,” Brown said in a statement.
If finalized, the rule would expect major food manufacturers to add the nutrition info box to most of their packaged foods three years after the rule’s effective date. Food manufacturers with less than $10 million in food sales annually would be expected to comply within four years.
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