Post by bananafish on May 23, 2016 13:53:32 GMT -5
The FDA is launching a new Nutrition Facts label which will require food makers to list "added sugar."
www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/20/478837157/the-added-sugar-label-is-coming-to-a-packaged-food-near-you
Advocacy groups believe that this will "spur food manufacturers to add less sugar to their products," according to the article.
The change doesn't go into effect until July 2018, but companies will likely start reforming their habits before then so that they don't look too bad when the new labels appear on their products (as has happened with past labeling changes).
The FDA has settled on 50 grams as the "daily value" of added sugars, and added sugars will be listed as a percentage of this daily value. 50g seems high, but I'm sure the pushback from the food industry on this label change was insane, and they had to compromise somewhere.
Unfortunately, labels still will not have total values. They will continue to use arbitrary and often meaningless "serving sizes," and then make consumers do the math in their head by multiplying the values per serving by the number of servings. Maybe one day the FDA will trump the food industry on that point, but my hopes are not high.
www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/20/478837157/the-added-sugar-label-is-coming-to-a-packaged-food-near-you
Advocacy groups believe that this will "spur food manufacturers to add less sugar to their products," according to the article.
The change doesn't go into effect until July 2018, but companies will likely start reforming their habits before then so that they don't look too bad when the new labels appear on their products (as has happened with past labeling changes).
The FDA has settled on 50 grams as the "daily value" of added sugars, and added sugars will be listed as a percentage of this daily value. 50g seems high, but I'm sure the pushback from the food industry on this label change was insane, and they had to compromise somewhere.
Unfortunately, labels still will not have total values. They will continue to use arbitrary and often meaningless "serving sizes," and then make consumers do the math in their head by multiplying the values per serving by the number of servings. Maybe one day the FDA will trump the food industry on that point, but my hopes are not high.
