US FDA Food Nutrition Labels Change

Today the FDA released new food nutritional labels to make them easier to "read" and understand. In efforts to support healthier meal planning, these changes will be hitting the shelves soon. What to expect: Larger print for "Calories" and "Serving Size" as well as bold print for these two areas.

An additional update to labels includes Dual Columns. With this, there will be two columns on the labels of items such as a can of soup that is 1.5 servings but typically eaten as a single serving by most adults. The two columns will make it easier for consumers to know exactly how many calories they will consume if they eat the entire can of soup.

Vitamin D and Potassium contents will be required on the new labels as well. These are two nutrients that many Americans do not consume enough of and if deficient can lead to chronic diseases.

Here is an example of what to expect, a comparison of the old labels to the new labels.

It is important to check labels when consuming canned, frozen, or any packaged foods. Recognizing dietary components such as fats, calories, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins, and others will assist you in making healthier choices when you do have to consume packaged foods.

In our next blog we will discuss more on what each of the components on a label really mean in terms of nutrition and how your body uses each one.

Manufacturers have until July 26, 2018 to comply with these changes to their labels so you may not see them as quickly as you would hope.