Exciting news this morning. For the first time in 20 years, the FDA is proposing changes to food nutrition labels. The number of calories will be highlighted and portion sizes will reflect – perhaps a little more accurately – what people really consume as a portion. As an example, a 20 oz bottle of soda will now be 1 serving, rather than the crazy 2.5 servings currently shown on such bottles.
What’s even more exciting, the FDA is proposing a separate line for sugars that are manufactured and added into the food. First Lady, Michelle Obama said: “You’ll also learn where sugar in food comes from “” if sugar in yogurt is added during processing or comes from fruits. This is a huge deal.” We couldn’t agree more.
The labeling proposal will be open for public comment for the next 90 days. Unfortunately, it will be up to two years before the changes are put into effect.
But progress is progress.
Lots of us pay attention to these nutrition labels and hopefully this can help us all make healthier decisions for ourselves and our families.
For more information and a great graphic of the proposed new design, check out this New York Times article