The New Nutrition Facts Label: Coming Soon

How many times have you looked at the Nutrition Facts label on a package and thought it was too confusing? As a result you may not pay much attention to the label. It has been over 20 years since the last food label update. Over the next 2 years the food label is getting a face lift. There are several changes coming to help consumers better understand the food label. This will help you make informed food choices.

Look for these changes:

1. Increased font size for “servings per container” along with bolding the text for “serving size” and “calories.”
2. Updated serving sizes of foods. The current serving sizes are the recommended amounts of each food to eat. This will change to reflect what people are actually consuming so some serving sizes will increase while others will decrease.
3. Updated % Daily Value (% DV) to reflect current scientific evidence.
4. “Added Sugars” placed on a separate line under “Sugars” to help consumers see the difference between added sugars and naturally occurring sugars. The recommendation is to consume less than 10% of total daily calorie intake from added sugar.
5. Change in the vitamins and minerals required on the label. No longer will vitamin C and vitamin A be required. Instead, vitamin D, iron, calcium and potassium will be required on the label. The addition of potassium is great news for kidney patients following a low or high potassium eating plan. Manufacturers can add any other nutrient they want but those 4 are the new required vitamins and minerals.
6. Along with the required vitamin and mineral change, manufacturers are also required to include the actual amount of each of these nutrients along with the % DV. This additional information may be a big help for kidney patients who are trying to limit their potassium intake.

The government decided on these changes to help improve the overall health of the nation, especially to help combat the obesity epidemic. Only time will tell if these changes will achieve their desired effect.

Stay tuned for more updates on the new Nutrition Facts label.