FDA To Modify Nutrition Labels, New Ones Will Make 'More Sense'

By Dipannita - 22 May '16 09:15AM
Close

The United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to take the long awaited decision - change of food labels. Yes, the federal agency has decided to get the label of America's favorite foods and drinks modified, so that they make "more sense" for the consumers.

The whole idea behind FDA taking this decision is to have the consumer become more aware of what they are actually eating. However, the agency does not want to dictate exactly to the consumers about what to eat or what not to eat.

Obesity and diabetes are two major epidemics that the country is facing today. The FDA's decision to modify the labels and to make them more informative is an attempt to make people aware of these epidemics and to avoid the common risk factors.

For example, the new label would clearly state how many calories in the form of sugar does the product contain. In addition, it will also state the amount of natural and artificial sugars contained in the product.

Eating an excess amount of sugar not only makes people obese, but it has also been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Amid the obesity epidemic, the new FDA labels are expected to help people make better choices when it comes to opting for healthy food products.

Apart from a detailed account of the sugar content, the agency has decided to introduce some cosmetic changes as well. Like, the calorie count and serving sizes will now be printed in bigger font sizes. The new label will also include the portions of food or drink that people actually consume.

The agency has also decided to remove the "calories from fat" column from the new labels stating that the type of fat is more important than knowing the total amount of calories associated with the fats.

Foods and drinks manufacturers have been asked to implement the new label guidelines by July 26, 2018.

Fun Stuff

Join the Conversation

The Next Read

Real Time Analytics