The FDA is on to us. They know we’re eating more than half a cup from our favorite ice cream pints.
In response, they are making some changes to the Nutrition Facts label for the first time since introducing it 20 years ago.
In May, the FDA finalized the new label for packaged foods to reflect new information about nutrition science, including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. They suggest that the new label will make it easier for consumers to make better-informed food choices.
Chief among those changes is an updated serving size. According to the FDA, when the new label goes into effect, “by law, serving sizes must be based on amounts of foods and beverages that people are actually eating, not what they should be eating. How much people eat and drink has changed since the previous serving size requirements were published in 1993. For example, the reference amount used to set a serving of ice cream was previously 1/2 cup but is changing to 2/3 cup. The reference amount used to set a serving of soda is changing from 8 ounces to 12 ounces.”
Casey Atwood, a registered dietitian with Strong Hearts Rehabilitation Center at Arkansas Heart Hospital, says serving size is the most important thing for consumers to pay attention to when reading labels.
“The fact that the FDA is changing that is a pretty big deal,” she says.
Says the FDA, “Package size affects what people eat. So for packages that are between one and two servings, such as a 20-ounce soda or a 15-ounce can of soup, the calories and other nutrients will be required to be labeled as one serving because people typically consume it in one sitting.”
“A 20-ounce soda is now the norm,” explains Atwood. “So people are getting 200 to 300 more calories and added sugars than the current label would have them believe. The new label is a little bit better at not giving people a false sense of what it is.”
Another big change is calling out “added sugars.” This completely new category requires manufacturers to list those sugars added during processing to allow consumers to tell the difference between them and sugars that come naturally, such as in fresh fruits and dairy.
The government originally introduced the Nutrition Facts label with the intent of helping consumers eat more healthfully. Atwood believes much progress has been made toward that goal, but continued education is needed.
“People are taking their health into their own hands more than they used to,” she says. “We are encouraging people to pay more attention to their food, and to understand more about what processed means. People are becoming more and more aware, and they do seem to be using labels more to make decisions.
“We do a lot of education,” she adds, referring to the hospital’s Strong Hearts program that addresses lifestyle behaviors with hands-on classes like cooking. “We encourage them to look at ingredients. Look at the sodium. Look at the sugars. The new label is pulling it out as added sugars.”
Manufacturers will begin using the new label by July 26, 2018.
“We really teach trying to get away from packaged, processed foods,” Atwood says. “We emphasize whole grains, fruits and vegetables. But people do use packaged foods, so we want to direct them in the best choices they can make.”