New Proposed Food Label Emphasizes Calories, Added Sugars
Pediatricians soon may have a new and ubiquitous tool to help patients and their parents eat healthier.
The Food and Drug Administration's proposed redesign of the "Nutrition Facts" label on food packages would place greater emphasis on calories and, for the first time, require manufacturers to include the amount of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (HCFS), and other caloric sweeteners added to foods.
The revamped label, unveiled on February 28, would mark the first overhaul in more than 20 years. The FDA introduced the "Nutrition Facts" label in 1993 to provide consumers with important nutritional information on food packages. Since then, advances in our understanding of the relationship between nutrition, health, and illness since then — along with the fact that Americans continue to have high rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic ailments — prompted the changes.
"Obesity, heart disease and other chronic diseases are leading public health problems," said Michael Landa, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "The proposed new label is intended to bring attention to calories and serving sizes, which are important in addressing these problems. Further, we are now proposing to require the listing of added sugars. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends reducing calories from added sugars and solid fats."
Because current labeling does not require it to be listed, it is difficult for consumers to determine how much of a food's sugar is naturally occurring and how much has been added during manufacturing.
On average, 16% of Americans' daily calories come from sugars added during food production; HCFS accounts for most of this amount. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than half of one's daily discretionary calories—for men, that's about 150 calories a day, or 9 teaspoons of sugar, and for women, about 100 calories a day, or about 6 teaspoons.
While natural and added processed sugars are chemically identical, HCFS has come under scrutiny in recent years, partly because of its abundance in Americans' diet. Moreover, some studies have suggested that HCFS is linked to type 2 diabetes, while other studies have suggested that it is safe when consumed in moderation.
An article about understanding HCFS from Bundoo, a parenting Web site bringing together parents, childcare experts, and pediatricians in a community dedicated to children's health, pediatric nutritionist Jill Castle, MS, RDN, offers parents answers.
"Considering it's in much of what our kids eat, there are concerns about potential health risks to children, including a possible relationship between HFCS, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even liver disease later in life. For every study showing that our bodies cannot recognize and process HFCS the way we do other sweeteners, another study demonstrates how HFCS is metabolized by the body just like table sugar," Castle says.
The article points to a 2010 review showing that moderate fructose consumption had no negative effect on lipid or blood glucose control, and that doses of less than 100 g/day did not influence body weight.
"In general, the findings to date do not support a causal relationship between high fructose corn syrup and negative health outcomes."
In addition to placing greater emphasis on calories and added sugar content, the proposed revised label would:
• Update % Daily Values for nutrients such as fiber and calcium
• Update serving sizes so they more accurately reflect what people actually eat or drink
• Require listing of potassium and vitamin D if present
• No longer require the labeling of vitamins A and C
• No longer list calories from fat, since the type of fat is more important than the amount of fat
• Continue to list total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat
—Michael Gerchufsky