Nutrition Label Gets a Makeover

The U.S. Food and Drug administration recently revealed that the nutrition label will be getting a makeover with updated nutritional information on packaged foods sold in the United States. The changes were made in an effort to increase awareness among consumers about what is in their food and help people make informed choices about what they feed themselves and their families. The Nutrition Facts label has been a resource for Americans for more than 20 years, providing information on calories, fat and other nutrients. The updated label has some improvements that make it even easier for consumers to make healthy food choices.

Most manufacturers will be required to use the new label by July 26, 2018. The key updates of the label include:

• The new design will highlight “calories” and “servings” and the requirements for servings sizes will more closely reflect the amount of food people typically eat. The last serving size requirements were published in 1993 and the amount people eat and drink has changed significantly since then.

• Certain food products will now have “dual column” labels; one label will provide “per serving” nutrition information while the other will provide “per package” nutrition information. “Dual columns” will be used for products with multiple servings, such as a pint of ice cream. Packages that are between one to two servings, and which people typically consume in one sitting (such as a 20-ounce soda), will be labeled as one serving.

• Daily values for nutrients will be updated to remain consistent with the Institute of Medicine recommendations.

• Vitamin D and potassium will include actual gram amount in addition to percent daily value since deficiencies of these nutrients are common.

Bottom line: The nutrition label has been a valuable resource to consumers for more than 20 years, but it is no secret that what we eat and the amount we eat has significantly changed over time. The updates will more accurately provide nutrition information based on typical serving sizes and will help further guide people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. And remember, the healthiest foods, such as fruits and vegetables, don’t need a nutrition label at all!

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