Take
a look at any food label. Check out the back panel entitled Nutrition Facts”.
It should look similar to the image on the left. Take a look at the total carbohydrate.
In this sample, the total carbs is 37g, with 4g of dietary fiber, and 1g of
sugar. That leaves 32g of carbohydrates unaccounted for! What are those carbs
you might wonder? Well, a majority of them are added sugars.
On
May 20, 2016 the FDA finalized the new Nutrition Facts label final rule for packaged foods. It was the first
major update, and regulation, to the nutrition facts label in 20 years. The
FDA’s regulation targeted sugars, in particular “added sugars”, and provided a
major update to the amount of nutrients people customarily consume.
Additionally, the nutrition facts label received a facelift.
Total Sugars and Added
Sugars
Total
Sugars, Sugars, and Added Sugars, what’s the difference? Total sugars will be
replacing the declaration of sugars in the label. Total sugars include all
sugars present in the food product, including added sugars. Sugars include the
sugar content of the main ingredients. For example, if you have a juice, sugars
represent the sugar level in the fruit added to the juice. Added sugars are
either added during the processing of foods, or when packaged. Food
manufacturers utilize added sugars to make products sweeter or to include a
specific flavor.
The FDA explained in the announcement of their final
rule, that based on
scientific data they reviewed, Americans are consuming too many added sugars. The Wall Street Journal reported that “a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola, for instance,
contains about 130% of the daily recommended maximum for added sugar.”
Therefore, in order to raise awareness, the FDA has required the inclusion of
added sugars in the nutrition facts label.
Recordkeeping of Added
Sugars
In
addition to the declaration of added sugars, the FDA now requires the
manufacturer to make and keep written records that verify the declared amount
of all nutrients on the label, including added sugars. These records must be
kept for a period of at least 2 years after the product enters the market. Additionally,
manufacturers should be mindful that when there is a mixture of nutrients, they
still need to keep records of both nutrients involved in the making of the
product, and not just the nutrients in the final product.
Size Matters
The
FDA updated the Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACC). This update is meant to reflect what
Americans actually consume on average, instead of what they should be consuming
when it comes to serving size. The FDA changed what constitutes a single
serving size. If the product is usually consumed in one go, then the product
will be treated as a single serving, and the nutrient facts label should
reflect that. However, the manufacturer may choose to use a dual label system
reflecting the information in the whole container, and the information of a
single serving size in accordance to the RACC. Additionally, if the container
can be eaten in one sitting, even though it contains 2-3 serving sizes, the
manufacturer is required to use the dual label system.
Speaking of size, the minimum
font sizes on the nutrition facts have been increased. Additionally, the font
size for the numeric values have also been increased. One example is the font
size for the “calories” numeric value received a major increase, and can now be
as big as the “Nutrition Facts” statement (which used to be the largest font
size on the label).
How Much Should People Be
Eating?
The
Daily Reference Values (DRV) for calories update accounted for the addition of
added sugars and removal of potassium. The FDA also updated the Dietary
Reference Intake (RDI) for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients similar to
the DRV update for calories. Another important update by the FDA was the
vitamins required to be stated on the nutrition facts label. Vitamins D and
potassium are now required on the label, while vitamins A and C are no longer
required, and can be stated voluntarily.
Other Changes
Other
important changes made by the FDA are regarding the definition of infants and
children under the age of four. The FDA now uses infant through 12 months, and
children ages 1 through 3. The FDA has also removed statements about calories
from fat, and the values of the entire container at the bottom. Another
noticeable change was made in regards to the language on the footnote at the
bottom of the label.
Effective
Dates
Manufacturers
will have until July 26, 2018 to comply with the final requirements, and
manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an
additional year to make the changes.
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