The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed new rule on Tuesday, January 14th, requiring most food packaging to display nutrition information on the front.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the FDA stated, “The Food and Drug Administration is proposing that nutrition labels be placed on the front of most packaged foods to provide easily accessible, clear information to help consumers quickly and easily identify how a food can be part of a healthy diet.”
The statement noted that this nutrition label appearing on the front of packaging is called a “nutrition information box,” which will supplement the “nutrition facts” label required on most food packaging.
Specifically, the nutrition information on the front of food packaging will simply and clearly indicate the levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in the food in “low,” “medium,” and “high” categories to detail and explain these contents, making it easier for consumers to understand the numerical information in the nutrition facts label.
The statement mentioned that current federal dietary recommendations aim for American consumers to limit intake of these three nutrients to achieve the goal of achieving a diet that is rich in nutrients without exceeding calorie intake.
“This proposal plays a key role in the nutrition priorities of our agency and is part of efforts within the government’s authority to address the national crisis of chronic diseases,” the FDA said in the statement.
This proposed rule will not take effect immediately. Currently, the FDA is seeking public comments on the rule, with a deadline of May 16th. Afterwards, the regulatory agency may modify this proposal or finalize it as a new rule.
The FDA stated that once this rule is finalized, large food manufacturers will have three years to add the new labels, while small food producers may have an additional year extension.