On Friday, the FDA released a new version of the nutrition facts label, which will enable consumers to make more informed dietary choices. Most manufacturers are required to place the new label on packaged foods by July of 2018.
Below are some of the more noteworthy changes you'll notice on the new label:
- Added sugars will be added to the list of nutritional information, to distinguish the amount of sugar that is added to foods versus the sugar that occurs naturally.
- Serving sizes have been updated to more accurately reflect how much food people eat in one sitting. For instance, a serving of ice cream will change from a half cup to 2/3 cup. Dual serving size columns—per serving and per package—will also be shown for larger products that may or may not be eaten all at once.
- Food manufacturers are now required to include the exact amount of calcium, iron, potassium and vitamin D. Vitamins A and C are now optional.
- You'll still see Total Fat, Saturated Fat and Trans Fat, but Calories from Fat will no longer appear.
- Daily Values will be updated for some nutrients—including fiber, vitamin D and sodium—to reflect new reports and research related to nutritional needs.
- The type face for calories, servings per container and serving size have been enlarged and bolded to make it easier to get this information while scanning.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the old and new labels.
Image from FDA.gov
At a glance, here are the changes that have been made to the new label.
Image from FDA.gov
What do you think about the new nutrition facts label?
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