About 20 years ago, the Food and Drug Administration introduced Nutrition Facts labels for the first time. Since then, though, food labels have remained largely unchanged. Now, the FDA is finally giving them a much-needed overhaul, which could encourage the public to eat healthier.
The main revision to the food labels will be serving sizes. Currently, a package of something can have multiple servings within it. For example, a single muffin may be listed as containing two servings, despite being only one item. While a single serving may be 200 calories, the entire muffin would be 400 calories. This means that there's the illusion that the muffin has fewer calories than it actually does.
Further details are still being debated, according to The Huffington Post. The FDA have released two proposed options for the labels, and will be gathering feedback until late May. Yet once these details are finally settled, food makers will have just two years to updated their labels to comply with the new format.
So what should we expect? The new label will emphasize calories, added sugar and serving size. It's also unlikely to show "calories from fat," since the information doesn't have any real relevance to good nutrition, according to SF Gate.
It looks like the food level changes are also getting support from the Grocery Manufacturers association. In a written statement, the trade group said, "For 20 years, the Nutrition Facts panel has been an invaluable tool to help consumers build more healthful diets for themselves and their families, and the time is right for an update. We look forward to working with the FDA and other stakeholders as these proposed updates to the Nutrition Facts label make their way through the rule-making process."
We'll likely see more official announcements in late May, once all of the details have been released. Yet the proposed changes could mean better information for consumers across the United States-and an easier way to choose healthier food options.
