~FDA Gives Nutrition Labels a Facelift!~
On May 20th the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the roll out of new nutrition facts labels
in an effort to combat diseases prevalent in America today, such
as obesity and heart disease. Although the new labels work to help
consumers make better informed food choice, they are not even live yet and
already some are touting them as confusing. I have viewed them myself and
feel that this is not the case.
However, new information can seem
daunting. Especially when you have become accustom to reading a certain format.
So lets take a look at the new labels and see if we can shed some light.
Below is an example of the current
label on the left, and the new label on the right.
Obtained
from fda.gov
|
One of the biggest, and most
noticeable changes is the calorie amount. Manufacturers will not only have
to enlarge the size of the calories listed, but the number
will also represent the total calories per package rather than per
serving. This is because most consumers eat more than one serving size. For
example, a bag of potato chips might say there are 130 calories per serving
with a 1/2 cup serving size. Now let me see a show of hands of those who actual
stop at a 1/2 cup of those delicious, crispy, salted, treats? With slogans
like "Bet you can't eat just one!" we consumers don't stand a
chance! So, I for one love this change. It cuts out some of the math you have
to do in your head to figure out how many calories you're REALLY eating.
The other part of the calorie change
equation is the increased portion sizes. The FDA is recognizing
that because consumers will usually consume more than 1 serving of
something that there is a need to have larger serving sizes. This is another
way to alert us that if we choose to drink that 12 oz. bottle of soda, as
apposed to the 8oz size that we will be consuming more calories. Instead of the
label saying 1 serving on the 8oz, and 1.5 on the 12oz. both bottles will now
say 1 serving with the corresponding calorie count. Again, we usually don't
stop at 8oz. of a 12oz container. It makes more sense to just state how many
calories per container rather than have you guess at the total calories
(or pretend you only had 150cal. instead of the actual 200 cal. because
you 'forgot' to do the math conversion for 1.5 serving sizes). So, for
containers with serving sizes between 1 and 2 the total calories will just
represent 1 full serving.
Next, and possibly the biggest
addition to the label is the "Added Sugar" portion of
the Total Carbohydrates section. This is the part that I am pretty
excited about! Not only will it show the amount of sugar an item has, but also
the amount of added sugars. This is great news for diabetics, and those
concerned about there sugar intake. Many of us focus on calories instead of
overall nutrients. I applaud the FDA for mentioning that "it is difficult to meet nutrient needs while staying within calorie
limits if you consume more than 10 percent of your total daily calories from
added sugars." As you can see in the example, the
current label only lists Sugar. The new label shows how sugars will now be
broken down. In this example the product has 12 grams. 10 of which are
from added sugar sources. The FDA recommends no more than 13 grams of added
sugar a day. This one item pushes consumers very close to that limit.
Another notable change is that Vitamin's
A and C have been replaced by Vitamin D and Potassium. According to FDA
the last time nutrition fact labels were altered was in the early 1990's
to reflect the lack of Vitamin's A and C in American diets.
Deficiencies in both are rare today in the general population, therefore it has
been deemed unnecessary to make these listings mandatory. Vitamin D and
potassium levels are, however, a concern today. So they, along with calcium and
iron, will now be mandatory on all food nutrition fact labels. Although it
is not stated why in the FDA announcement, I imagine the reason for
listing calcium is because calcium is necessary for Vitamin D absorption.
I don't see the problem with these
changes. I think once they roll them out it might take a minute for us to adjust,
but that the new information will prove to be more efficient, truthful, and
helpful in our dietary choices. The FDA has stated that these changes are not
there to tell anyone how or what to eat, only to inform us so that we can make
smarter choices for ourselves and our families.
There are clearly patterned health concerns in
this country of ours. It's nice to know that science is taking note and working
to educate the masses.
All changes shown and explained below:
Serving size changes explained:
